The “Fit for 55” decarbonization plan approved by the European Commission will have a huge impact on the European automotive industry. Car manufacturers are committed to reducing emissions to zero, says the association of European manufacturers Acea in a statement released yesterday, but Europe is not yet ready to switch to electricity en masse. “The proposed CO2 reduction target for cars of 55% by 2030 (based on 2021 levels) will be very challenging and certainly requires a corresponding binding target for Member States to build the necessary charging and refueling infrastructure.”
Infrastructure
Acea says it is “very worried” that the number of charging stations imposed on countries are far below that required by the association, “with a worrying reference to only 3.5 million recharging points by 2030. According to recent calculations by the Commission a further decrease in CO2 emissions from cars to -50% in 2030 would require about 6 million publicly available charging points, ”says ACEA.
Technologies
Once again, ACEA asks for “technological neutrality”, that is, that politics imposes objectives but leaves it to the industry to choose how to respect them. All options, including highly efficient internal combustion engines, hybrids, battery and hydrogen electric vehicles, ACEA says, must play their part in the transition to climate neutrality. “It is not the internal combustion engine that is harmful to the environment, but the fossil fuels. Without the availability of renewable fuels, a 100% reduction target in 2035 is effectively a ban on the internal combustion engine ”.
“We urge all EU institutions to focus on innovation rather than effectively imposing or banning a specific technology,” said ACEA president and BMW number one, Oliver Zipse.
