As exemplified in the debate about banning internal combustion engines, many experts still hope for an “efficient” way to reduce CO2 emissions in the transport sector. But for ambitious climate targets to be realistic, we will have to live with somewhat messy, imperfect solutions.
The European Commission has drafted a plan allowing sales of new cars with internal combustion engines that run only on climate neutral e-fuels, in an attempt to resolve a spat with Germany over the EU's phasing out of combustion engine cars from 2035.
Purchasing an e-car in the near future is completely unimaginable for most Czechs as the high cost of e-cars and misunderstandings on emissions rules ensure they remain sceptical about e-mobility, Czech expert Helena Truchlá told EURACTIV.cz.
EU lawmakers in the European Parliament narrowly voted in favour of phasing out internal combustion vehicles in passenger transport from 2035, ensuring the political compromise from October 2022 is now a legal reality.
Trucks represent less than 2% of Europe’s vehicles but cause 25% of road transport emissions, and their electrification is key to meeting the EU's climate goals. Decision makers, energy regulators, and grid operators should move quickly to optimise the charging infrastructure, writes Julia Hildermeier.
The electrification of the auto industry is gathering pace, particularly in Europe, where the sale of new cars running on petrol and diesel will end in 2035.
The head of the German car industry association, Hildegard Müller, has criticised the EU for "making vehicle production more expensive by political means", which in her view is undermining the proclaimed industrial policy objectives.
Most European car makers have already declared that they will go full electric by 2035, some of them sooner. The EU’s task is to ready for this transformation, writes Frans Timmermans.
The European Commission has approved the German government's multi-billion-euro e-charging programme, aimed at boosting the uptake of electromobility, but an initially planned price cap had to be dropped.
Ditching small vehicles is bad for consumers, the environment and, ultimately, western carmakers, argues Julia Poliscanova, senior director for vehicles and e-mobility at the green NGO Transport & Environment.
Global ride-hailing giant Uber has set a target of 100% zero-emission vehicles by 2030 in Europe and by 2040 in all markets – an ambition that requires their self-employed drivers to ditch their petrol and diesel cars for cleaner technologies.
US automaker Tesla on Thursday (1 December) delivered its first battery-powered heavy duty truck, dubbed "Semi," and built to tackle long hauls with the handling of a sporty sedan.
While EU co-legislators are still busy discussing the details of the EU Battery Regulation, lobbyists following this file are already bracing themselves for a tsunami of secondary legislation that will decide on every technical aspect of battery manufacturing and recycling.
The European Parliament wants to make charging for electric vehicles easier by making payment terminals for credit and debit cards obligatory at all charging points. But charging operators warn that a requirement to retrofit existing stations might slow down infrastructure roll-out.
The European Commission has dismissed fears that the electric vehicle revolution will be mostly confined to richer member states in the coming years, arguing that binding targets and ongoing public and private investments will boost charging infrastructure equality across the EU27.
As the automotive industry shifts from combustion engine vehicles to cleaner technology, regional governments warn of increased competition between automotive regions for a decreasing number of jobs. To prevent this, they are calling for greater collaboration.
Electro fuels made from green energy sources may play a role in decarbonising road transport in years to come, complementing other clean propulsion technologies such as electric power, according to German auto manufacturer BMW.
A shift to collective transport is needed to reverse the dominance of cars in cities and reach our decarbonisation targets, Portugal's infrastructure minister said on Monday (14 November), refuting the notion that electric vehicles will end Europe’s urban transport woes.
Verkor, a French e-battery start-up, inaugurated its innovation centre in Grenoble on Wednesday (9 November), with backing from government officials, key industry players and a €49 million loan from the European Investment Bank (EIB).
The long-awaited European Commission proposal to reduce air pollution from vehicles was released Thursday (10 November), modestly tightening exhaust emission standards for cars and vans and placing limits on particles shed from brakes and tyres for the first time.
French automaker Renault will pitch investors Tuesday (8 November) on its planned green revamp, with two spin-offs: a new electric-vehicle unit and a subsidiary for thermal and hybrid assets.
The EU urged the United States on Monday (31 October) to grant its firms special status to sell electric vehicles, as Brussels rails at "discriminatory" measures in President Joe Biden's flagship economic plan.
The German government has brought confusion to the automotive sector by insisting on a legislative provision that asks the EU executive to assess the option of synthetic fuels for combustion engine vehicles after the 2035 shift to zero-emission vehicle sales.
Lawmakers have agreed to ban the sale of polluting vehicles from 2035. This represents a victory for the environment, but to be a true success, we must ensure that it is a victory for workers also, argues MEP Sara Cerdas.
