2024-2029: Five years to deliver the Green Deal’s mobility promises

The upcoming EU Elections are the opportunity to debate and design the framework to make the electromobility transition a success for climate, people and businesses, write Celine Domecq and Julia Poliscanova.

Céline Domecq is chair of the platform and Public Affairs director at Volvo Cars. Julia Poliscanova is vice-chair of the platform & senior director with Transport & Environment, a clean mobility campaign group.

The agreement to pursue zero emissions for Europe’s new cars and vans by 2035 – backed up by strong public charging infrastructure requirements, development of rail transport, and the sustainable batteries regulation – has set a clear direction and an unequivocal target for sustainable transport transition.

The Green Deal, via its green tech goals and accelerated electrification across all modes, has the potential to significantly reduce Europe’s dependency on fossil fuels. Recent geopolitical events have shown the importance of ensuring energy security and resource independence.

The Green Deal will also make the EU a global leader in the sustainable transport industries, such as batteries and charging networks. It will position Europe as the global leader on climate change action while bringing welcome economic growth and the creation of high-quality jobs. According to a report facilitated by the Platform for Electromobility undertaken by the Boston Consulting Group, the shift to production of electric vehicles will create 779,000 engineering positions in Europe between 2020 and 2030.

So now is not the time to question the Green Deal framework or its individual parts like the 2035 phase-out of internal combustion engines vehicles. Instead for the Green Deal measures to bring benefits to people, the planet and business, it should be put into action.

The implementation of the European Green Deal should be based on three pillars: a green and just industrial policy, a net-zero investment plan, and inclusive policies putting people at the heart of the transition.

First, continuing a rapid decarbonisation is crucial: but it must be done in such a way that preserves Europe’s competitiveness. Nowhere is this more important than in transport and mobility. An effective green industrial policy is thus necessary to accompany Europe’s Green Deal policies.

The right industrial policy will be unlocking Europe’s potential such as ‘urban mines’ – old batteries and waste materials – by investing in cutting-edge recycling factories. Europe can secure critical metals for battery production, reducing waste and enhancing strategic autonomy by 2040. The development of a recycling value-chain requires the update of intra-EU shipment rules of valuable waste, as well as a quick and effective implementation of the Critical Raw Materials Act.

The implementation of the latter should also focus on deploying local refining and processing capacities as a matter of urgency.

Powering up for green industries also requires a revamped grid. A European Grids Package should offer the gateway to upgrade infrastructure, connecting electric vehicles and unlocking their vast energy storage potential.

These policies should embrace all mobility industry value chains across sectors and support their global competitiveness. We call for a 360° e-mobility industry strategy, widening the focus from specific components to become more comprehensive, spanning from raw materials to end products and from individual to all modes of sustainable transportation.

Second, the European Green Deal needs an accompanying European Net-Zero Infrastructure Investment Plan. A long-term, easy-to-access investment facility – aimed at sectors key to net zero – should be a core issue during the EU elections.

Among its prioritise, such a plan should include support for decarbonising freight in Europe, notably the roll-out of high-power charging infrastructure required for deploying electric trucks of all ranges and the completion of a high quality, interoperable rail network with very high-speed connections.

To support cities in accelerating the modal shift and in electrifying their vehicle fleets, Europe should also provide investments into zero-emission public transport networks. A dedicated budget for urban nodes, for example to deploy smart and efficient charging infrastructure, should also be included.

Finally, one thing is certain: the clean mobility transition cannot happen against the people: workers, drivers or wider consumers.

As Europe shifts to a green economy, the demand for workers in industries such as critical raw materials, batteries and renewable energy industries will grow. Therefore, it will be essential to allocate EU resources and support to help steer young people into those technical fields essential for the green transition.

The wider adoption of electric vehicles and rooftop photovoltaic solutions offer significant opportunity to unleash ‘prosumer potential’ in Europe. We can enable EV drivers to take an active part in the transition by supplying power back to the grid and being rewarded as flexibility providers.

Ultimately, affordability is critical so the Green Deal should be supported by old and new solutions to make electric mobility affordable, including shared cars and e-bikes, newer solutions like low-cost leasing and strategies towards ever more efficient electric models.