European Commission tables strategy for clean and efficient vehicles

Wed 28 April 2010 View all news

The European Commission's has published a strategy for promoting the use of clean and energy efficient vehicles. The strategy links the future competitiveness of the European automotive industry to the rapid development of clean technologies. It contains over 40 actions in a wide range of policy fields with the first actions due to be taken this year.

The strategy, which is published by the Energy and Industry Commission, aims to provide a European framework for the uptake of greener vehicles. The strategy contains over 40 actions in a wide range of policy fields covering: regulatory framework for the reduction of environmental impacts, research and innovation in green technologies, market uptake and consumer information, trade and employment aspects as well as specific actions on electric vehicles such as standardisation, charging and refuelling infrastructure or recycling and transportation of batteries.

With the new strategy, the Commission wants to provide "an impetus at a European level to seize the full potential of green vehicles to contribute to fight the climate change, reduce the oil dependency of Europe and revitalize Europe’s industrial fabric".

Included in the Commission's strategy are plans to: 

  • continue its legislative programme on vehicle emission reduction including its mid term review;
  • support research and innovation in green technologies
  • propose guidelines for demand-side incentives

ENDS reports that the Commission says it will prepare a strategy for dealing with lorries' fuel consumption and CO2 emissions. By 2011, it will also table a proposal to reduce the fuel consumption impacts of mobile air conditioning systems.

This year, a draft type-approval regulation will propose emission standards for two- and three-wheelers and quadricycles.

The Commission also confirmed it is preparing a series of detailed rules implementing the 2009 regulation on car emissions, including on eco-innovation measures and a derogation for small carmarkers. It will also issue guidelines on incentives to consumers to buy cleaner vehicles and plans to amend rules on CO2 labelling for cars.

The strategy claims that it does not choose particular technologies, but recognises that until now a European framework has been lacking on electric mobility. With electric vehicles (including hybrids) currently viewed as ready for the mass market and several member states promoting electric mobility, a number of actions announced in the Commission's Communication focus on enabling this technology. These aim to:

  • ensure that alternative propulsion vehicles are at least as safe as conventional ones
  • promote common standards that will allow all electric vehicles to be charged anywhere in the EU
  • encourage installation of publicly accessible charging points
  • promote the development of smart electricity grids
  • update the rules and promote research on recycling of batteries.

Commission Vice-President Antonio Tajani in charge of industry and entrepreneurship said: “In 2010, the automotive industry enters into a defining phase for its future success. The new European strategy will provide a supportive framework based on a twin-track approach: improving the efficiency of conventional engines and making ultra low-carbon mobility a reality for European consumers. Including all types of vehicles in the strategy will ensure that this parallel approach will strike the right balance between securing the future competitiveness of our car manufacturing industry without compromising our long-term goals for the reduction of greenhouse gases and other pollutants. The strategy also aims at achieving common standards for electrical cars so that they can be charged everywhere in the EU.”

 

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