Social disruption due to a badly managed transition could severely undermine the ability of the European Green Deal to succeed and could cause long-term damage to our economies and societies. A mixed technology approach, including rapid electrification, would help mitigate risk and create a more manageable transition. It is imperative that the transition happen in a thoughtful and deliberate way that preserves industry competitiveness and jobs, while not compromising on climate targets
A regulatory framework that is open to all available solutions, like the use of hybrid technologies, green hydrogen, and renewable sustainable fuels, will enable innovation and choice as we redefine the future of mobility. As not all electric vehicles run on renewable energy, the term “zero emissions” is misleading.
To incentivise technologies with the lowest overall carbon footprint, emissions from vehicles should ideally be regulated on life-cycle basis, with a Well-to-Wheel approach as a first step, which considers the production and distribution of the fuel/electricity used to power a vehicle. The introduction of a voluntary fuel crediting mechanism, which enables an additional option for automakers to fulfill the fleet-wide CO2 targets with volumes of sustainable renewable fuels, should be recognised in the upcoming revision of the CO2 standards for cars and vans.
