Draft on new fuel consumption standards for passenger cars

In the draft Vietnamese standards (TCVN) on fuel consumption that is being widely consulted, the Ministry of Construction proposed the average fuel consumption of passenger cars in Vietnam to be 4.83 liters/100km by 2030. This information raises concerns about the feasibility when the expected application time is after 5 years.

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Specifically, the Vietnam Automobile Manufacturers Association (VAMA) believes that the target of average fuel consumption of 4.83 liters/100km by 2030 is too strict. Currently, about 96% of traditional gasoline-powered vehicles and 14% of hybrid vehicles do not meet the standards proposed by the management agency.

Discussing this issue, Mr. Le Hong Viet, Deputy Director of the Road Vehicle Emission Testing Center (Vietnam Register) said: “The draft TCVN on new fuel consumption standards is in the process of collecting opinions. The scope of application of the standard only applies to newly manufactured, assembled and imported vehicles, not to vehicles that are already in circulation. Furthermore, the average fuel consumption of 4.83 liters/100km does not apply directly to each vehicle model or each enterprise, but is the national average target; each enterprise will have its own target based on the product structure and average volume of the fleet of vehicles it produces or imports.”

According to Mr. Viet, the drafting committee is continuing to research and evaluate detailed impacts based on market data and domestic vehicle development trends, especially the increase in the proportion of electric vehicles, to have a reasonable implementation roadmap, ensuring both implementation of international commitments and suitability with the practical conditions of Vietnamese businesses and markets.

According to the Vietnam Register, Vietnam is in the process of applying energy labeling and level 5 emission testing for passenger cars with 9 seats or less that are manufactured and assembled from separate components, completely new or imported and unused.

However, the current circulars guiding energy labeling and QCVN 109:2024/BGTVT do not stipulate _CO2 emission levels or fuel consumption limits for passenger cars. Therefore, the application of legal regulations has not been very effective in reducing carbon emissions in the transport sector.

In 2013, the Ministry of Science and Technology issued TCVN 9854:2013 on fuel consumption limits and determination methods for passenger cars, but it has not yet been made mandatory. Therefore, replacing TCVN 9854:2013 is necessary, as a basis for automobile manufacturing, assembling and importing establishments to have time to prepare accordingly.

According to assessments, fuel-efficient vehicles will help reduce daily operating costs for users. For example, a reduction of 0.5-1.0 liters/100km can save millions of VND per year for each vehicle. For transport businesses, reducing fuel costs will help increase profits, lower service costs and increase competitiveness. In the long term, when the vehicle structure gradually shifts to hybrid/EV, fuel costs will decrease even more, reducing pressure on gasoline imports.

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Source: https://www.sggp.org.vn/du-thao-ve-muc-tieu-thu-nhien-lieu-moi-cua-xe-con-post814273.html