In 1994, I was 13 years old when I discovered something intriguing – brake dust emissions. Naturally, people didn’t take me seriously. The dilemma of being a kid and identifying fundamental problems seemed contradictory. Since then, I’ve always wondered: what happens to brake dust? With millions of vehicles on the road using their brakes to slow down, the friction between the brake disc and the rotors must generate dust. But where does it go?
It turns out the European Union (EU) shared a similar concern and decided to address brake dust emissions. But they didn’t stop there; they also included tyre emissions in their considerations.
What are tyre emissions? When you drive a car or anything with rubber tyres, friction between the road and the tyre occurs. This friction, even in tiny toy cars, causes the tyres to wear out. Again, the question arises: where does the tyre debris end up? On the road! Surprisingly, even bicycles contribute to tyre emissions. Bicycles are not as innocent as they seem.
Last year, Salesforce’s automotive team in London brought attention to tyre emissions during their automotive conference.
So, what’s happening? The Euro 7 emissions level will not only address engine emissions but also brake and tyre emissions.
According to the EU press office, the limits for braking emissions are as follows: for cars and vans, the agreed compromise text specifies a limit of 3 mg/km in the standard driving cycle for pure electric vehicles and 7 mg/km for all other powertrains. Specific limits for heavy vans are included, namely 5 mg/km for pure electric vehicles and 11 mg/km for other powertrains.
During the research for this article, I couldn’t find any official dates for the tyre emissions level yet.
So, what does this mean? The EU has finally realized that tailpipe emissions are not the only contributors to environmental pollution; brakes and tyres play a role too. However, when brake pads and tyres fall under Euro 7 regulations, will they be enforced for bicycles? After all, bicycles have tyres and brakes!
As for the introduction of Euro 7, according to the EU’s website, it will be on 1st July 2025. Not much time for original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) to redesign their products to comply with the new regulations.
More details can be found here:
https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX%3A52022PC0586&qid=1696948437182
