Tag: emissions

Italy wants Ferrari and Lamborghini exempt from internal-combustion engine ban

Italy wants to protect Ferrari and Lamborghini from a proposed future ban on internal-combustion engines enacted by the European Union, Bloomberg reported Saturday.

The Italian government is in talks with the EU about exempting the two supercar builders from a proposed phaseout of new internal-combustion vehicles announced in July, which would go into effect in 2035, according to the report.

Rome is reportedly arguing that the proposed rules should be applied differently to high-end supercar builders because they are “niche” manufacturers that don’t make many vehicles.

Lamborghini Countach LPI 800-4

Lamborghini Countach LPI 800-4

It’s worth noting that the rules haven’t been finalized. They must first be discussed by member nations and the European Parliament, a process that could take up to two years, according to Bloomberg. Countries are likely to propose amendments to protect local industries, with France already proposing more lenient emissions targets, the report said.

Both Ferrari and Lamborghini have slowly embraced electrification, but so far only in the form of hybrid powertrains for production vehicles. After flip flopping a bit, Ferrari now appears committed to at least one EV. The automaker previously cited limited battery technology as an obstacle, although that hasn’t stopped Croatian firm Rimac, which now also controls Bugatti.

Ferrari in April said its first EV, expected to be a crossover, will be unveiled in 2025. The automaker is also adding hybrid powertrains to more models. The Lamborghini Aventador successor due in 2023 is expected to be a hybrid, ending the run of non-electrified V-12 Lambo supercars. Lamborghini hasn’t announced firm plans for an electric car, however.

Polestar points to “a disturbing lack of transparency” about EV carbon footprint

Polestar on Thursday said it would publish full details on the “climate impact” of its electric cars.

The move “sets new standards for other car makers to follow,” Polestar declared in a press release. Based on what Green Car Reports has seen released to consumers, that would indeed make it one of the first few automakers of any kind to do so.

“Polestar at the disturbing lack of transparency across the industry, as it is today impossible for a consumer to compare the climate impact of different cars,” the company said.

One issue Polestar highlighted was the differing methodologies used by various automakers to calculate the life-cycle carbon footprint of vehicles. That means emissions not only from driving, but from manufacturing as well.

Polestar has already published the methodology for its life-cycle emissions assessments, as well as results for the Polestar 2, its first all-electric production model. Similar reports will presumably be generated for each new Polestar EV.

Using its own methodology, the automaker calculated that the Polestar 2 actually has a higher manufacturing-phase carbon footprint than an internal-combustion Volvo XC40—based on the same Compact Modular Architecture (CMA) platform. That’s because of an energy-intensive battery production process, Polestar said.

However, once the car is delivered to the customer, and charged using renewable energy, emissions virtually disappear, Polestar noted. After 50,000 kilometers (31,000 miles), the XC40 surpasses the Polestar 2 in total emissions, the company said.

2021 Polestar 2

2021 Polestar 2

That conclusion neatly lines up with other research on the carbon footprint of electric cars. One persistent myth that has been repeatedly debunked is that electric cars have higher lifetime emissions due to the manufacturing process, or from using coal-fired electricity grids for charging.

As a peer-reviewed process from the Union of Concerned Scientists has attested for years, electric cars have had a far lower lifetime carbon footprint than internal combustion vehicles—and recently, in nearly every set of conditions.

A study recently pointed out some of the errors in the data that some German automakers had been using to downplay the carbon gains of moving to EVs.

The most noteworthy of the studies that made some peculiar assumptions that don’t mirror the real world or the entire manufacturing ecosystem is a 2017 Swedish study.

Even outside of its lifetime carbon footprint, sustainability has been one of the hallmarks of the Polestar 2 and its materials choices and details.

Is having a certified number for lifetime carbon footprint an important part of your vehicle decision, and should other automakers follow suit? Let us know what you think in your comments below?