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ADVOCATING A COMPREHENSIVE APPROACH TO TACKLING EMISSIONS FROM ROAD TRANSPORTThe European Automobile Manufacturers’ Association (ACEA) reaffirms the industry’s commitment to reducing CO2 emissions by applying an ambitious approach which looks at all the elements that affect emissions during the use phase of a vehicle. In this context, the potential of intelligent transport systems (ITS) in cutting CO2 emissions is particularly worth noting.For years now, Europe’s car manufacturers have been actively contributing to mitigating the effects of climate change by investing in alternative powertrains and developing ever more fuel-efficient vehicles. Even during recent crisis years, when faced with flat or declining sales, our industry has delivered significant environmental improvements, and it will continue to do so in the future. Last year, average new car emissions were 33.7 per cent lower than two decades ago. Looking at the future, European carmakers spend €41.5 billion every year on R&D in order to meet tomorrow’s challenges, such as ensuring that by 2021 CO2 emissions from new cars are 42 per cent lower when compared to 2005.However, in order to further reduce total CO2 emissions from road transport, ACEA members are advocating a much more ambitious and comprehensive approach for the future. After all, there are limits to how much more change can be brought to the internal combustion engine and how much further motor vehicles can be refined. To this end, ACEA has joined forces with almost 60 strategic stakeholders (ranging from businesses, trade associations and non-profit organisations, to research bodies and think tanks) to jointly develop a more comprehensive approach that seeks to reduce road transport emissions from both passenger cars and heavy-duty vehicles more effectively.This holistic approach does not only focus on new vehicles, instead it looks at all elements that affect emissions during the use of a vehicle. Influential factors include, amongst others, driver behaviour, fuel options, fleet renewal, infrastructure and the potential of ITS technology. Effective intelligent transport systems for cars include both in-vehicle and infrastructure systems. They can, for instance, help drivers quickly find parking spaces, avoid congested areas and improve fuel consumption. A recent study by ERTICO (a partnership of around 100 companies and institutions involved in the promotion of intelligent transport systems) clearly identified the potential of ITS measures to help meet both European and global emission-reduction targets.According to the study, the two most promising in-vehicle ITS technologies are eco-navigation and eco-driving support systems. Eco-navigation systems are navigation tools that can deliver fuel reductions of 5-10 per cent by using real-time data to optimise routes. Eco-driving systems analyse driving behaviour and provide the driver with on-trip advice and post-trip feedback. Such systems hold the promise of reducing emissions by another 5-20 per cent. When it comes to infrastructure-related measures, the technologies with the highest potential are traffic signal coordination and parking guidance. By giving drivers real-time advice on traffic signals and helping them to find parking space, such systems are expected to produce a further 10 per cent savings in CO2 emissions from equipped vehicles.“CURRENT CO2 LEGISLATION FAILS TO ADDRESS THE VAST MAJORITY OF VEHICLES, AS TARGETS EXCLUSIVELY FOCUS ON NEW VEHICLE SALES ”ERIK JONNAERT, SECRETARY GENERAL, EUROPEAN AUTOMOBILE MANUFACTURERS’ ASSOCIATION (ACEA)102 TRANSPORT AND MOBILITY