With the EU’s Fit for 55 legislation package, the internal combustion engine is set to disappear: From 2035, all new registered vehicles in Europe are to be zero-emission, Power2Drive Europe said on August 19, noting that many car manufacturers have already adjusted their strategies to be able to hit this target.
According to Power2Drive Europe, which is part of The smarter E Europe – the continent’s largest platform for the energy industry, the success of e-mobility is an important step towards clean transportation and guarantees the economic position of Europe as a center of commerce and industry thanks to its cross-sector innovation efforts.
In this way, electric vehicles promote a new concept of mobility and offer added value to society as a flexible temporary storage system of green energy (vehicle-to-grid).
The worlds of new energy and mobility are joining forces, including back on site: The Power2Drive Europe Restart 2021 exhibition will be held from October 6–8 in Munich and showcase charging solutions, battery electric vehicles as well as the intelligent integration of e-mobility in a renewable energy system. The focus of the event is to promote renewable sources of energy, decentralization and digitalization as smart links between the electricity, heating and transportation sectors.
“By launching the Fit for 55 legislation package, the European Commission has made the decision to move away from internal combustion engines. Now car manufacturers are required to do the same,” Power2Drive Europe said.
According to the European Commission plan, yearly emissions of new vehicles must be 55% lower starting in 2030 than in 2021. By 2035, this figure increases to 100% in comparison to 2021, meaning that all new registered vehicles from 2035 onwards would be emission free.
Many European countries are consistently pursuing the phase-out
“An explicit deadline gives clarity to both industry and consumers about the transition. It also ensures that the EU stays in pole position in terms of the worldwide market launch of electric vehicles,” AVERE General Secretary Philippe Vangeel said.
The European Association for Electromobility, AVERE, will continue to actively put pressure on Brussels to push the deadline forward to 2030, Power2Drive Europe said, adding that some European countries are prepared to go to even greater lengths than the EU goals set out.
From as soon as 2025, only emission-free passenger cars and lightweight commercial vehicles are to be sold in Norway. In the Netherlands. new buses must be emission free by 2025, as must new passenger cars from 2030, according to the International Council on Clean Transportation (ICCT). Denmark, Iceland, Ireland and Sweden have committed themselves to end the sale or registration of internal combustion engine powered passenger cars from 2030 onwards, say the ICCT. The United Kingdom has announced a ban on the sale of conventional diesel and gasoline passenger cars for 2030. Countries which have not yet established a deadline such as Germany, or without long-term goals, such as Spain with its targets for 2040, need to reconsider their plans.
Automobile manufacturers support the rapid changeover
The majority of automobile manufacturers have adjusted their business strategies and have already taken it upon themselves to wave goodbye to the conventional combustion engine, Power2Drive Europe said. Volkswagen has decided on 2035 as the latest deadline for the change, Fiat and Ford have decided on 2030. Mercedes-Benz recently announced that by 2030 “only battery powered electric vehicles will be available where market conditions allow”. Opel wants to be an e-mobility only brand in Europe as soon as 2028. “The list goes on: Volvo, Jaguar and Mini all aim to achieve the move away from the combustion engine by 2030, 2025 and 2031 respectively. So actually the industry is the one leading the way, offering guidance to countries and their governments when it comes to deadlines. A number of other automobile manufacturers, first and foremost, Tesla, but also Polestar (Joint Venture of Volvo and Geely) and numerous others have counted on electric vehicles from the word go. What’s more, it is not just users and society who stand to benefit from cross-sector innovation – clean transportation efforts, new concepts of mobility and integrating electric vehicles as a mobile battery storage system into sustainable energy systems (vehicle-to-grid) will also add value to the economy,” Power2Drive Europe said.
