EU to target 30 million electric vehicles by 2030
The European Commission, in a strategy due next week, will lay out measures to tackle EU greenhouse gas emissions from the transport sector. Reports speak of 30 million electric vehicles by 2030 and related infrastructure.
According to a draft document seen by Reuters, “The EU’s goal of climate neutrality by 2050 cannot be reached without introducing very ambitious measures to reduce transport’s reliance on fossil fuels.” The news agency further quotes the EU Commission estimating that the targets would require “at least 30 million zero-emission vehicles by 2030”.
That is considerably more than the 1.8 million electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles registered in Europe at the end of last year, according to the International Council on Clean Transportation.
The strategy also includes plans for infrastructure as the EC estimates Europe will need three million public charging points and 1,000 hydrogen refuelling stations by 2030. This also points to the program to include fuel cell vehicles. It remains unclear, whether PHEV will form part of the envisioned 30 million vehicle fleet.
The demand for charging stations will please associations and manufacturers who continue to call for infrastructure funding. Correspondingly, the EU promises a “roll-out plan with funding opportunities and requirements” next year. Europe currently has about 200,000 charging points, Reuters reports.
The Commission would not comment so the draft will likely be subject to change.
The EU will next year propose tighter CO2 emissions standards for cars and vans from 2025, and the draft document says they could be expanded to cover buses, reports Reuters, also mentioning the EU looking at the high-speed rail system and zero-emissions aircraft and ships.
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