Electric mobility, European Union, Future energy system Bellona...

Electric mobility, European Union, Future energy system
Bellona welcomes EU Battery Strategy but concrete actions must follow

BRUSSELS, 17 May 2018 – The European Commission has today published its third and final mobility package, consisting of a number of key legislative proposals and communications, aimed at putting an end to unregulated CO2 emissions from trucks; paving the way for an autonomous, connected and safer mobility system, and very importantly, placing the need for a sustainable battery supply chain at the heart of Europe’s transition to electro-mobility.

While a European Battery Strategy is a step in the right direction, it is paramount that this is accompanied by ambitious EU policies to secure both supply and demand for battery-powered electric vehicles, thereby creating certainty for investors. To this end, the adoption of bold zero-emission vehicle mandates via the ongoing redesign of the Union’s CO2 standards for cars and vans, as well as forward-looking public procurement targets via the recast Clean Vehicles Directive, are two complimentary parts of the solution.
Being the only sector whose emissions are still on the rise, it is clear that transport poses a tremendous challenge for the EU in terms of attaining its climate objectives. The uptake of electro-mobility is widely recognised as offering the largest carbon mitigation potential, while helping to boost security of energy supply and tackling ever growing air- and noise-pollution concerns in cities. In view of this, the European Commission has, throughout the past few years and with its consecutive mobility packages, undertaken first steps towards building a conducive legislative framework as well as rolling out an appropriate recharging infrastructure to facilitate this transformation.
A shift towards battery-electric solutions across all transport modes will inevitably also entail higher demand for lithium and other critical raw materials, the majority of which Europe imports from abroad. Europe is clearly lagging in terms of electro-mobility deployment as well as battery and cell production capacity, and today’s Battery Strategy seeks to put an end to this, by boosting Europe’s locally manufactured battery industry, which in turn promises opportunities for job creation and economic growth.

http://bellona.org/news/transport/e...ery-strategy-but-concrete-actions-must-follow