Batteries
Brussels in balancing act to gain EU support for battery regulation
The European Commission’s proposed battery regulation was alternatively branded too ambitious or too restricting at a meeting of EU environment ministers Thursday (11 June), highlighting the gap between the 27 member states on the issue.
Five steps the EU can take to create a circular economy for cars
While vehicles provide economic and societal benefits, they come with a sizeable carbon footprint. The European Green Deal is a chance for car manufacturers to make their processes more circular, write Maya Ben Dror and Tilmann Vahle.
France wants faster implementation of EU batteries regulation
France is eager “to get results quickly” on the EU's proposed battery regulation and would even like the implementation schedule to be brought forward by a year, which would take it to 2024, France’s ecological transition ministry told EURACTIV France.
Brussels promises new EU legislation for end-of-life vehicles in 2022
The European Commission will come forward at the end of 2022 with a proposal to remove the most polluting end-of-life vehicles from EU roads, European Green Deal Commissioner Frans Timmermans said on Thursday (10 June).
Mining is wreaking havoc – better recovery of battery metals will help
The EU’s proposed new standards for sustainable batteries are an opportunity to move away from destructive mining. The right policy measures can make the system more circular and avoid the mistakes of the past, write Benjamin Hitchcock Auciello and Alex Keynes.
Recycling firms urge EU to raise used battery collection goal
Leading companies in the waste management sector have called on EU lawmakers to revise a draft regulation on sustainable batteries to increase the target for used battery collection and to make it mandatory for battery producers to use recycled content in their production cycles.
Commission’s ‘ambitious’ green battery proposal criticised during Council debate
EU countries expressed concern Thursday (18 March) that the European Commission’s sustainable battery proposal sets unworkable targets and deadlines and would increase bureaucratic costs for battery producers, raising the prospect that the legislation will require significant changes before entering into law.
Europe has overtaken China on electric cars. Three roadblocks stand in the way
Europe had a strong head start in electric cars in 2020, but the roadblocks of weak regulation, road cap-and-trade system and – above all – detour into e-fuels all stand in the way of Europe's ambition on zero emissions mobility, writes Julia Poliscanova.
Company fleets can drive shift to electric mobility, study says
With almost two out of three new cars in Europe bought for corporate purposes, companies have the power to shape the direction of the market, according to a new report due to be published next week (17 February).
Sales of electric vehicles jump above 10% for first time in Europe
The proportion of electric vehicles sold in the EU more than trebled to 10.5% in 2020 new figures reveal, a sign that EU and national incentives to stimulate demand for zero-emission vehicles are bearing fruit.
Hybrid-electric cars should lose ‘green’ status, campaigners say
Green activists have renewed calls for EU lawmakers to scrap subsidies for plug-in hybrid vehicles following revelations that emissions from hybrids are up to 89% higher than advertised.
Brussels approves €2.9 billion investment into battery innovation
Twelve EU countries will jointly invest almost three billion euros into innovation in battery cell technology for electric vehicles and energy storage, cementing the EU as a “global hotspot” for battery innovation, the European Commission announced on Tuesday (26 January).
Nissan to source more UK batteries as part of Brexit deal ‘opportunity’
Nissan will source more batteries from Britain to avoid tariffs on electric cars after the UK's trade deal with the EU, which a senior executive said has turned Brexit from a risk into an opportunity for its factory in northeast England.
Electric vehicles granted grace period to avoid Brexit tariffs
Electric vehicles traded between the EU and the UK have been given a grace period to prevent trade being slammed with tariffs, but battery producers need to start preparing now to meet the deadline, industry sources say.
Denmark leads EU on deployment of zero-emission buses: report
Denmark has the most zero-emission urban buses on the roads in Europe, with electric buses making up 78% of its new vehicles, according to the latest data from Transport and Environment (T&E), a green NGO.
Plane power set for a defining decade
Aviation technology is due to reach new heights over the course of the next decade, as efficiency improvements, advancements in fuel development and even new forms of propulsion take to the skies. It could usher in a new age of flight.
Europe’s truck giants to ditch diesel, as hydrogen’s benefits come to fore
Seven major truck manufacturers pledged to stop selling fossil fuelled vehicles by 2040 on Tuesday (15 December), just as a landmark new study made the case that hydrogen should play a major role in powering heavy-duty transport in the coming years.
New EU chemical evaluation promises quicker, better results
Authorising or banning potentially hazardous substances in the European Union can drag on for years and the current rules allow separate regulators to run their own assessments, sometimes leading to different outcomes. A planned new regime aims to change that.
EU seeks competitive edge from green batteries
Electric car and industrial batteries sold in Europe will soon face legally binding environmental standards, the European Commission said on Thursday (10 December), as it seeks to give local producers an edge in a rapidly growing global market.
The essence of essentiality: Get the basics right on ‘Essential Uses’
The European Commission's new chemicals plan intends to ban any substances deemed hazardous and non-essential. Violaine Verougstraete explains why a different approach to this is needed.
European transport’s green drive on the starting line
The European Commission launched on Wednesday (9 December) its vision for how to clean up transport’s emissions act, as part of a four year action plan designed to help the bloc hit its 2050 climate-neutrality target.
Chemicals management: What’s at stake
The European Commission has published its vision for what the EU’s strategy should be over the course of the coming years. It aims to eliminate toxic substances, while respecting the bloc’s climate and digital transitions. But the issue is an...
Sinkevicius: Batteries are essential to Green Deal ambitions
The European Union has ambitious plans to corner a significant chunk of the global battery market but how does a new strategy aimed at regulating chemicals management affect those objectives? Environment Commissioner Virginijus Sinkevičius shared his views.