Current European mobility policies are too limited, argues the European automotive sector. According to car manufacturers, the auto parts industry and fuel manufacturers, the policy delivers up to unnecessary industrial, economic, social and environmental risks. They therefore want a new dialogue. All solutions that can contribute to reducing climate impact should play a role in this.
"We all fully support that electrification will be the key technology for decarbonising light road transport. However, recent geopolitical developments have highlighted uncertainties regarding the path to full electrification of new cars by 2035," CLEPA writes in an open letter. CLEPA is the European trade association for automotive suppliers. More than 3,000 companies are members of the trade association.
Concerns about 'limited path'
The European Commission is aiming for climate neutrality by 2050. An important part of this is the phasing out of fossil-fuelled cars. CLEPA-affiliated parties report planning an industrial future that is fully in line with Europe's 2050 climate goals. At the same time, they also express their concerns about what they call the "limited path" that the European Commission's proposal for tightening CO2 emissions standards for new passenger vehicles and new light commercial vehicles.
This proposal was presented by the European Commission in July 2021. CLEPA argues that the geopolitical landscape has changed dramatically since then. Among other things, it points to energy and raw material dependencies on the European Union (EU). "This is likely to affect the speed and economic efficiency of electrification of the new lightweight vehicle fleet," CLEPA writes in an open letter.
Availability of affordable cars at risk
It points out that battery raw material prices and supply constraints are jeopardising the availability of affordable cars for many citizens. This could negatively affect the speed at which the European car fleet electrifies, the automotive parties warn. It could also slow down the reduction of emissions in the EU, they argue.
CLEPA also points to current concerns about EU dependencies on raw materials from abroad. This makes access to necessary raw materials for batteries for EVs a major challenge, warns the industry association.
Electricity generation at risk of becoming more polluting
In addition, the energy crisis threatens to make electricity production more polluting rather than cleaner. Among other things, CLEPA points to the expected increase in coal use to generate electricity. "There is no guarantee that we will have enough renewable electricity to meet the increasing demand of electric transport. With the risk that marginal electricity consumption may even come from coal. Current vehicle standards, based solely on tailpipe emissions, cannot prevent this. This is at the expense of overall greenhouse emission reductions," the industry association said.
Finally, CLEPA points to the rollout of charging infrastructure in the EU. This rollout is accelerating. However, this does not guarantee a charging network with sufficient density in the entire EU, according to the industry association. This creates uncertainty among motorists who want to make the switch to electric mobility.
'New dialogue needed'
CLEPA says the current situation requires a new dialogue on previous assumptions around achieving climate neutrality by 2050 and the transition of European industry. "In this light, all solutions that can contribute to reducing greenhouse gases should be considered," CLEPA argues. Among other things, the industry association wants to look at options for allowing the use of cleaner synthetic fuels. CLEPA argues that vehicles using exclusively sustainable synthetic vehicles have very low greenhouse gas emissions, or could even be completely climate-neutral.
CLEPA also points to production opportunities for synthetic fuels. These could be manufactured from residues using EU-produced or imported renewable energy, among other things. "Highly credible academic studies show that this combination can be equivalent to EVs in terms of decarbonising road transport," CLEPA reports.
Resilience of European transport value chain
The industry association continues: "An important but often neglected consideration is the resilience of the European transport value chain. Additional routes to meet climate targets means reducing the risk posed by an exclusively electric approach. The use of sustainable renewable synthetic fuels is an ideal complement to the electrification strategy."
CLEPA see sustainable biofuels, renewable fuels and electric as reliable solutions for reducing emissions from the transport sector in the short, medium and long term. At the same time, these can enable the use of the existing vehicle fleet and infrastructure. CLEPA stresses with the open letter it is not advocating adjusting climate targets or extending the use of fossil fuels beyond 2035.
The open letter can be found here.
Author: Wouter Hoeffnagel
Photo: Florian Kurz via Pixabay
