Let’s enable clean mobility!

Eurelectric released its amendment proposals on the CO₂ standards for new cars and vans and the Clean Vehicles Directive. Europe is at a crucial moment. In order to deliver on the Paris Agreement, the transport sector has to drastically increase emission reduction efforts. As reflected in our amendment proposals, the power sector is ready to become a key enabler for the transport sector to reduce emissions significantly – with the help of decarbonised electricity.

We believe that ambition to reduce emissions needs to increase, not slow down. We therefore call for an average emission reduction of the new cars and vans of at least 25% by 2025 and at least 50% by 2030. A strong interim target is needed to ensure Europe gets on the right track. In order to achieve 60% greenhouse gas emission reduction in the transport sector overall as stated by the EU in 2011, we believe that road transport needs to be fully decarbonised by 2050. And zero- and low-emission vehicles have a key role to play in this. Thus, it is necessary to ensure that manufacturers are required to sell a certain share of zero- and low-emissions cars and vans.

It is also necessary to set clear rules for the public procurement of vehicles – while ensuring that the financial impact on public authorities is not disproportionally high. Public authorities can be a driver and push for early adoption of clean vehicles and thus lead by example. Therefore, the Clean Vehicles Directive should require public authorities to only procure clean vehicles as of 2030, with national midway-targets for 2025. Furthermore, to improve the impact of this Directive and to better tackle the issue of air quality in cities, a greater number of transport services should be covered by clean vehicles procurement obligations. 

Emissions from transport are both in absolute and in relative terms higher than in 1990. Regulatory frameworks which enable zero-emission mobility to develop are needed now to drive the transition towards clean transport.