Transport
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Realistic ambition in truck CO2 cuts
The European Commission recently released its proposal on regulating heavy duty CO2 emissions. Rold Willkrans describes the “not insurmountable challenge” ahead and calls for realistic yet ambitious rules to be adopted.
We have five years to choose between transport heaven or hell
The expected benefits of electrified and shared vehicles are real and quantified. Yet, they are not guaranteed. There is another, darker, pathway that we could inadvertently slip into, called the “Hell Scenario” of autonomous mobility, warns Robin Chase.
Rethinking transport: Driving Europe towards sustainable mobility
As cutting emissions out of transport gains in political and scientific importance, Diego Garcia Carvajal writes during European Mobility Week that the time is ripe to embrace electric cars on a grand scale.
From transport to street lighting: The emergence of smart city platforms
Uber and Airbnb have shown how city services can be transformed by platform offerings. Developing the right platforms will be key for cities to ensure that their economies, environment, and services are fit for the future, writes Eric Woods.
EC should not rush connected car proposals
DG MOVE has a very important decision to make this autumn. Under its own timetable, it is due to release fast-track proposals to define the technical solutions connected cars will be bound by for years to come.
TRACECA could have been the backbone of Belt and Road
In the early 1990’s, the EU had actually paved the way for Euro-Asian connectivity programmes with TRACECA, a programme meant to promote regional transport dialogue. However, its attention to the initiative dwindled over the years, writes Nicola Contessi.Promoted content
The importance of periodic vehicle emission tests for air quality
Many cities in Europe have problems because they exceed the current limits for air pollutants. Some of them are even considering banning diesel vehicles in general to batten down the hatches, writes Gerhard Müller.
Electric trucks are necessary and coming anyway
Electric trucks will come – and fast. More and more studies show that they are not only feasible to build, but also profitable to operate. And zero emission trucks will be needed to meet the Paris climate goals, write Stef Cornelis and Thomas Earl.
No toying around with air quality for city dwellers
Vehicle access restrictions have come under fire from the FIA motor car users group, which argues they are a whimsical instrument that cities spontaneously decided to employ. In fact, it was the car industry that was playing with real-world driving emissions, writes Karen Vancluysen.
Stricter CO2 standards for vehicles are not the reason for job losses
Despite negative media reports, environmental regulation cannot be blamed for the coming upheavals in the automobile sector. Daniel Rieger explains.
Devil in the detail of Europe’s 2050 transport model
As the EU puts together a mid-century climate strategy, Carlos Calvo Ambel explains how the Commission’s choice of modelling could be severely underestimating what emission cuts can be gained from the transport sector.
Active energy storage for EV charging
Among alternative fuel vehicles, electric cars are the best positioned to overcome refuelling infrastructure challenges, writes Ian McClenny. The difficulty lies in having sufficient vehicle charging availability to reduce consumer’s range anxiety.Promoted content
Advanced biofuels are key to decarbonising transportation
The recent agreements on the revised Renewable Energy Directive (RED II) are setting the tone for creating a stable and predictable business environment that will trigger the development of and investment in advanced biofuel production within the EU, argues Markus Rarbach.
Could EU-Indonesia free trade deal end palm oil conundrum?
As a new round of free trade negotiations between the European Union and Indonesia begins in Brussels, Perrine Fournier argues that improving forest governance should be central to any agreement.
Europe’s cities need to start delivering smart mobility
European cities are currently toying with various types of urban vehicle access restrictions. Though these cities mean well, such restrictions are burdensome and come at a cost for motorists, so smart mobility measures need to be proposed instead, writes Laurianna Krid.Promoted content
CAP reform’s eco-schemes: eco-logic or eco-nomic? Why not both?
The proposal for the post-2020 Common Agricultural Policy triggered a lot of criticism from a wide range of stakeholders, especially around the environmental aspects. But Yara believes the eco-scheme to be in line with the Commission’s ambition of moving to a “smarter, simpler, fairer and more sustainable” CAP.Promoted content
Poland is growing its green energy generation. The capacity market should boost it even further.
New wind turbines, new photovoltaic panels, and gas-fired power stations have been built in Poland for many years. But we can have more of them and more of the energy they produce. To a large extent, this may result from the capacity market, argues Filip Grzegorczyk.
The battle for low carbon cars: Round 2
The debate on CO2 targets for cars and vans in Europe by 2030 is shaping up to be another epic fight, write Greg Archer and Julia Poliscanova.
The UN is failing on all fronts to tackle the climate impact of flying
ICAO's proposed offsetting scheme for aviation emissions, known as CORSIA, will cover a mere 6% of projected CO2 emissions accumulated to 2050, writes Bill Hemmings, saying CORSIA fails the Paris Agreement test miserably.
Why construction machinery must be included in the Clean Vehicles Directive
Construction site machinery is responsible for a significant amount of air, noise, and climate pollution yet remains remarkably unregulated. The ongoing recast of the EU Clean Vehicles Directive offers a golden opportunity to address this, writes Mark Preston.
Making demand for electricity more flexible – a consumer view
The EU has an opportunity to take forward-looking action and shape exactly what kind of market we want when it comes to flexible electricity consumption offers, argues Angeliki Malizou.Promoted content
Will personal data be the price to pay for connected cars?
Connected and automated cars will collect enormous amounts of data. While sharing this data has the potential to optimise the driving experience for all, questions of data privacy naturally arise – not least as GDPR rolls out.
Poland’s transport sector searches for top gear
The EU is rolling out more and more initiatives to boost e-mobility and the use of alternative fuels. Poland’s secretary of state for energy explains how his country is tackling the transport sector with an ambitious new plan.