ecostory 57-2007
"MEPs propose end of road for sports cars"
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Europe's MEPs, that is Members of the European Parliament are on the right track. Making cars that can drive much faster than the speed limits are a waste of energy and investment.

This is a first step on the road to adapt human consumption to resource availability. On a planet that we are depleting of its resources at an ever-increasing speed ("growth") we can indeed start eliminating the squandering of resources.

end of the road... It is senseless to produce capacity that cannot be used.
  • What's the use of sports cars that must generally respect speed limits of 130 kpm?
  • Why should wasteful Formula One car races be tolerated - spoiling the planet for the excitement of people only?
  • Or why should we continue to build new roads that will increasingly be flooded because of climate change?

    What use will motorways and high speed railways have when energy is getting scarce after the PeakOil , i.e. the onset of End Of Fossil Fuels?

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    Copyright notice We transcribed this article for reference purposes only.

    MEPs propose end of road for sports cars

    ANDREW BOUNDS, the Financial Times, 26 June 2007

    BRUSSELS In its bid to save the planet from climate change, Brussels could be about to create another endangered species: the Ferrari.

    MEPs will today discuss banning high-powered sports cars from Europe, with one saying that selling " boys ' toys " that could exceed the 130kph top speed on EU roads (with the exception of Germany's) was "nonsense".

    Chris Davies, a British Liberal Democrat who drafted the report on how to reduce vehicle greenhouse gas emissions, said: "It is political and environmental lunacy. People cannot drive at these speeds legally. It is just boys' toys."

    Mr Davies wants any car capable of travelling faster than 162kph - 25 per cent above the usual EU state limit - to be banned from 2013 (except those used by the emergency services and armed forces).

    However, he faces a roadblock from German MEPs on the powerful environment committee.

    Karl-Heinz Florenz, a -Mercedes-driving Christian Democrat, said: "We want to manufacture the cleanest cars, not the slowest."

    He also attacked proposed exceptions for small manufacturers that produce fewer than 500 models annually in the EU, saying it would favour British producers. "He wants to kill Porsche but let Bentley drive on," he told the Financial Times.

    Ninety-nine of the 785 MEPs are German and will almost certainly reject the ban en masse.

    The report is non-binding but represents a parliamentary shot across the bows ahead of a directive that would force cuts in passenger vehicle emissions, which make up more than 10 per cent of the EU's total. The European Commission is drawing up legislation to oblige carmakers to cap carbon emissions at an average of 120 grammes per kilometre by 2012 through a combination of engine technology and measures such as biofuel use. The 2005 average was 160g/km.

    Mr Davies favours giving the industry more time but stiffer targets. He wants the 120g/km target postponed to 2015, from when any car emitting more than double that should be banned. He also wants car advertisements and showrooms to dedicate a fifth of their space to fuel-economy information.

    The European Automobile Manufacturers' Association said the speed ban was "beside the point" and would cut emissions by 1 per cent at the most, as most journeys were not on motorways. Sigrid de Vries, spokeswoman, said: "The report recognises the lead times manufacturers need (but) we are disappointed it does not address factors such as driver behaviour, infrastructure improvements to reduce congestion and tax incentives."