Sources: Auto Info.be, EV Powered

The European Commission is proposing the introduction of a new class of small electric cars in type-approval categorisation, with a range of financial and fiscal incentives attached for European manufacturers. Sitting between the existing M1 class for regular passenger cars and the L7E quadricycle, or microcar, class, the new category means that microcar innovators are missing out on such incentives.

Although full details of the proposed new class are not yet available, the information so far revealed include that vehicles in the M1E class will have to be less than 4.2 metres long, and the focus is on urban vehicles for everyday use rather than long journeys. Manufacture in Europe is key, with the proposal including plans for “super credits” of 1.3 credits for every European-built M1E car sold rather than the standard 1 credit, to encourage the meeting of emissions targets.

In contrast, microcars such as those produced by LEVA-EU members including the Microlino and the Silence S04 are subject to unadapted technical legislation in the L category, which is not in receipt of such financial and emissions-meeting incentives. This is a significant oversight; such vehicles perfectly meet the requirement for clean and efficient urban mobility in a format that is compact and lightweight, enabling cities to achieve their goals for space savings and clean air.

As this opinion piece from Auto Info.be states regarding Europe’s continued ignoring of the L category’s potential, “It’s becoming increasingly clear that it’s a policy shortcoming that is harming the European mobility transition.”

L7e vehicles are cheaper than conventional cars to produce and purchase and are ideally suited to short commutes and regular urban travel. The traditional cars which the M1E category would include are fully fledged passenger cars which are heavier and occupy more space, and have much higher production costs – translating, of course, to higher end-price tags.

The Auto Info.be author concludes, “In our view, Europe must more actively recognize and promote L7e microcars, with adapted regulations and appropriate incentives. Only then can the mobility transition become truly inclusive, sustainable, and future-proof.”