Enhanced Standards
The emissions standards for automobile greenhouse gases is to be lowered to 70 percent of the current level by 2020, and the fuel efficiency standard is to be enhanced by more than 40 percent.
The Ministry of Environment and Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy announced on Sept. 10 that they will pre-notify the “average greenhouse gas emissions and fuel efficiency standards for automobiles in the next term (2016~2020)” with the new regulations on Sept. 11.
According to the new criteria, the automobile greenhouse gas emission limit is to be enhanced to 97g/km by 2020 from the current standard of 140g/km. The fuel efficiency limit is also to be enhanced from 17km/ℓ to 24.3km/ℓ.
These figures are definitely above average, even compared to the automobile greenhouse gas emission standards of major advanced countries. Converted into the measurement methods of Korea (complex mode), the limits of Europe, Japan and the U.S. are 91g/km (by 20201), 100g/km (by 2020), and 113g/km (by 2020) respectively.
Automobile manufacturing companies are obliged to abide by either the greenhouse or fuel efficiency standards, and will be fined if they fail to do so.
The related departments including the Ministry of Environment, Ministry of Strategy and Finance, and Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy agreed to enhance standards for average greenhouse emissions and fuel efficiency to the level of advanced countries by 2020 instead, and delay the subsidy system of low carbon vehicles at “the 30th economic ministerial meeting” held on Sept. 2.
More kinds of vehicles will be monitored for their greenhouse gas emissions and fuel efficiency performance. Currently, only sedans and vans less than 3.5t and a capacity of less than ten passengers are supervised. However, vans under the capacity of 15 passengers and freight cars lighter than 3.5t will be included.
For vans and freight cars with a capacity less than 15 passengers, greenhouse gas emissions is limited to 191g/km and fuel efficiency has to reach 14.1km/ℓ at present. These standards will be reinforced to 166g/km of greenhouse gas emissions and 15.6km/ℓ of fuel efficiency.
Considering the international trends in which rules over small automakers are intensified, the government plans to apply 8 percent relieved standards to automobile manufacturers that sell less than 4,500 vehicles as of 2013. Currently, these automakers see 19 percent relieved standards based on sales in 2009.
The government decided to lead fuel efficiency technological development in the industry by approving the maximum of 7g/km after listing the technologies capable of reducing greenhouse gas and enhancing fuel efficiency.
Furthermore, the government plans to make a low carbon vehicle friendly environment by counting vehicles with less than 50g/km of emissions as equivalent to 1.5 vehicle sales, and to count as 2 vehicle sales those with no emissions at all.