Planned reform of climate label for cars underestimates CO2 price – consumer protection organisation

The reform of an energy consumption label for passenger cars underestimates the projected CO2 price of transport fuels like diesel and petrol, consumer protection advocates told business daily Handelsblatt. “The CO2 prices assumed so far are not credible and do not show what buyers of inefficient vehicles will face,” said Gregor Kolbe of the Federation of German Consumer Organisations (VZBV). The draft’s assumptions are based on Germany’s national carbon price for transport fuels, which is set to rise until the end of 2026, writes Handelsblatt. According to current plans, it will then amount to 55-65 euros per tonne of CO2. “However, it is still completely unclear how high the CO2 price will be afterwards,” the piece continues. From 2027 at the latest, the transport sector will also be covered by EU emissions trading, and the German system must be aligned with it. The newspaper also writes that researchers from the Mercator Research Institute on Global Commons and Climate Change (MCC) say that by 2027 at the latest, a CO2 price twice as high will be necessary to reach climate targets, rising to 275 euros per tonne by 2030.

The economy ministry has proposed a revision of the regulation on energy consumption labelling for passenger cars to align it with European Union rules, and provide consumers with more detailed information about the energy use and average annual energy costs of their cars. Think tank Agora Verkehrswende has said the draft reform improves transparency on the information for people, but the new rules do not go far enough. The think tank proposes that, for example, in addition to the annual costs for taxes and energy, cumulative values for the entire service life of a passenger car of around 15 years should also be stated. According to the draft, only the CO2 costs for ten years are to be stated cumulatively.