EU takes first step towards common electric vehicle strategy

Spanish Minister of Industry, Miguel Sebastián, said today that it was the intention of the EU’s Spanish Presidency to give the electric vehicle a “leading role”. 

This is the first time an informal meeting of industry ministers has been given over to a single subject, and although – being an informal meeting – no document will be approved, Sebastián said he hoped today’s talks would be the first step towards the development of a common strategy for discussion at the Council of Ministers in May.

“The electric car is an opportunity for European industry,” said Sebastián. ”Its introduction entails the development of new technologies, innovative activities, the generation of added value, the creation of quality employment, possibilities to increase exports, improving efficiency and energy savings, controlling CO2 emissions and reducing dependency on oil and oil derivatives.”

He said it was Spain’s view that “EU institutions should lead the introduction of the electric vehicle.”

The line taken by the Spanish Presidency has been broadly welcomed by the European automobile manufacturers organisation, ACEA – although it said today that it was important also to look beyond electric when developing a sustainable car policy. 

“Conventional powertrain technologies with high-tech combustion engines as well as fuels will continue to play a dominant role for years to come and progress in this field must continue as well,” the organisation said in a statement.

The ACEA’s view is that if “e-mobility” is to become commercially and environmentally successful, a “sound, long-term and co-ordinated  policy” must be developed. In other words, the EU is going to have to put its money where its mouth is.

The ACEA points out that governments in the US, Japan and China already support new technologies intensively, posing a challenge to European vehicle makers in terms of their global competitiveness.

If electric cars are really to take off in Europe, the ACEA says driver acceptance will be key – and only likely to be secured though market incentives and widely accessible recharging infrastructure.

More support for R&D will also be needed, as well as an increase in production of low carbon energy. 

It is on the importance of low carbon energy that the ACEA’s views coincide with those of Friends of the Earth Europe, Greenpeace and Transport & Environment.

In a jointly-commissioned report published today, the three environmental groups warned that putting more electric cars on the road could actually have the effect of increasing carbon emissions – unless they run on green energy.  

The study warns that existing EU legislation on car emissions is flawed because it allows manufacturers to use sales of electric vehicles to offset the continued production of “gas-guzzling” cars. 

So-called ‘super credits’ allow carmakers to sell 3.5 high-emitting cars for every electric car sold, without affecting their overall CO2 target. 

According to the report, if sales of electric cars increase to 10 per cent of the total, this could result in a 20 per cent increase in both oil consumption and CO2 emissions in the EU car sector. 

The environmental groups want super credits to be outlawed by the EU and for all electric cars in the EU market to be equipped with smart-metering technology, which would only allow the vehicle to be charged when surplus electricity – mostly from renewables like wind and solar – is available on the power grid.

This would only be workable with a substantial increase in the supply of renewable energy available in the EU.

Greenpeace’s EU transport policy advisor Franziska Achterberg commented: “We need smart electric vehicles that interact with smart electricity grids so cars can charge up on green power. 

“Dumb electric vehicles plugged into a dumb electricity grid would only add demand for coal and nuclear power and drive us away from a sustainable energy future.”

Related News:
Green Cars and Electric Cars
Green Transport News
Renewable Energy News

Related Links:
www.acea.be
www.greenpeace.org.uk
www.foeeurope.org