Electric vehicles
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.
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.
RED III: Europe’s reality check
Transport is responsible for 27% of total greenhouse gas emissions in the EU and several pieces of legislation have failed to bring about major changes. The EU executive has already admitted that by 2030, oil will still drive Europe’s cars....
Spanish parliament approves clean energy bill
The Spanish parliament approved a clean energy bill on Thursday (13 May), aiming to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050 in line with EU-level ambition and banning the sale of fossil fuel vehicles by 2040.
Spain’s car industry eyes extension of furlough schemes to save jobs
The Spanish car industry is mulling extending temporary lay-off schemes known as ERTEs currently due to expire at the end of the month until at least next September to mitigate the pandemic’s negative impact on the sector. EURACTIV’s partner EFE reports.
Spain pours billions into fight for slice of European electric vehicle sector
Spain is moving aggressively to land new battery and electric vehicle plants, using billions of European Union pandemic relief funds to avoid being left behind as the global auto sector undertakes the biggest technology transformation in a century.
Newspeak can’t obscure that EVs remain the most efficient choice
An attempt to redefine the notion of efficiency to bolster the case for synthetic fuels is simply a smokescreen to hide the truth: that battery electric vehicles are the far more efficient solution, writes Günter Hörmandinger.
Electrify key highways to accelerate shift to battery-powered trucks: report
A modest investment into charging infrastructure along major European motorways could herald a shift to low-carbon electric road freight over long distances, according to a new report by the green NGO Transport & Environment (T&E).
The EU’s green fuels law uses tools from the combustion engine age. It’s time for a change
Green electricity seems set to be the transport fuel of the future, but an unwillingness to look beyond the internal combustion engine has led to a focus on biofuels. The EU should allow fuel suppliers to meet environmental targets with renewable electricity, writes Geert De Cock.
Deployment of EU electric vehicle charging stations too slow, auditors say
The European Union's deployment of charging infrastructure for electric vehicles is not quick enough to meet the bloc's targets, EU auditors said on Tuesday (13 April).
Electric truck technology close to challenging diesel: study
Electric freight trucks will soon be technologically ready to replace fossil-fuel powered trucks, but the lack of fast-charging infrastructure will hamper uptake, a new study has found.
Digital solutions can stem the economic toll of road congestion, official says
Digitalising European roads will save lives, reduce harmful polluting emissions, and cut down the “pure economic waste” caused by traffic congestion, according to an EU official.
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.
EU plotting ban on internal combustion engine as of 2025: industry
The European Commission's proposed Euro 7 emission rules on cars, vans, trucks and buses would amount to "a ban through the back door" of internal combustion engines as of 2025, if implemented in their current form, industry has said, calling the proposal premature and "completely out of the question".
Deliveries are up, e-van sales are not – that’s a disaster for pollution
The sale of electric vans has been sluggish despite a boom in home deliveries, spurred by pandemic-driven online shopping. The lack of clean vans on European roads will harm our chances to reach emissions targets, writes James Nix.
Plugging into the Green Deal: Europe needs charging infrastructure
It is vital to ensure that electrified vehicles have access to a sufficiently developed network of charging and re-fuelling infrastructure. This requires a pan-European effort with binding and measurable targets, writes Oliver Zipse.
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.
Fleet electrification would cut road transport emissions by 50%, study finds
Electrifying public and private fleets would cut around half of all road emissions in Europe, providing a major boost for the EU’s climate goal and revolutionising clean mobility in Europe, according to a new report by industry group Eurelectric and Ernst & Young (EY).
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.