The European Automobile Manufacturers’ Association (ACEA) takes note of the European Parliament’s plenary vote on CO2 reduction targets for cars and vans. It now urges MEPs and EU ministers to consider all the uncertainties facing the industry, as it prepares for a massive industrial transformation.
ACEA welcomes the fact that the Parliament maintained the European Commission’s proposal for 2025 and 2030 targets. These targets are already extremely challenging, and only achievable with a massive ramp-up in charging and refuelling infrastructure, the association cautions.
However, given that the transformation of the sector is dependent on many external factors which are not fully in its hands, ACEA is concerned that MEPs voted to set in stone a -100% CO2 target for 2035.
“The automobile industry will fully contribute to the goal of a carbon-neutral Europe in 2050. Our industry is in the midst of a wide push for electric vehicles, with new models arriving steadily. These are meeting customers’ demands and are driving the transition towards sustainable mobility,” stated Oliver Zipse, ACEA President and CEO of BMW.
“But given the volatility and uncertainty we are experiencing globally day-by-day, any long-term regulation going beyond this decade is premature at this early stage. Instead, a transparent review is needed halfway in order to define post-2030 targets.”
“Such a review will first of all have to evaluate whether the deployment of charging infrastructure and the availability of raw materials for battery production will be able to match the continued steep ramp-up of battery-electric vehicles at that point in time.”
It is now also essential to deliver on the rest of the necessary conditions to make zero-emissions possible. ACEA is therefore calling on decision makers to adopt the different elements of Fit for 55 – particularly CO2 targets and the Alternative Fuels Infrastructure Regulation (AFIR) – as one coherent package.
SOURCE: ACEA
