The FIT 55 carbon neutral plan is officially included in the European Union Act, which will greatly increase the market demand for electric vehicles

The European Commission put forward the “FIT 55” plan in December 2019. The goal is to make Europe the first climate neutral (Climate Neutral) region by 2050. This goal is formally written into the “Europe” which will take effect in July 2021. The European Climate Law specifically promises to reduce net greenhouse gas emissions by 55% in 2030 compared to 1990. This plan is vital to the automotive industry and the millions of people it employs.

ACEA members expressed their support Charging infrastructure is the first step

European car manufacturers are committed to reducing emissions to zero. All members of the European Automobile Manufacturers Association (ACEA) support the goal of climate neutrality by 2050 and invest billions of euros in innovation and sustainable technologies. However, banning a single technology at this stage is not a reasonable way forward—especially when Europe is still struggling to create suitable favorable conditions for alternative-powered vehicles.

Oliver Zipse, President and CEO of BMW ACEA, said: “Ambitious climate targets require binding commitments from all parties involved. The European Commission made it very clear today that only in all member states will the charging and refueling base be improved. The green agreement can only succeed under the mandatory goals of the facility. This is essential for the charging of the millions of electric vehicles that European automakers will bring to the market in the next few years and for achieving unprecedented reductions in CO2 emissions in the transportation sector. The current proposal for further reduction of carbon dioxide emissions by 2030 requires that the market demand for electric vehicles be further increased substantially in a short period of time. Without the significant efforts of all stakeholders, including member states and all relevant departments, the proposed target It’s not feasible at all.”

“FIT 55” mentioned the goal of 55% reduction in car carbon dioxide emissions by 2030, which will be very challenging. Of course, member states need to formulate corresponding binding targets to establish the required charging and refueling infrastructure. In addition, the new carbon dioxide target will significantly accelerate the structural transformation of the automotive value chain, which requires careful management to minimize the impact on our economy and employment. ACEA is pleased to note that the plan includes binding targets for the deployment of charging and refueling infrastructure to meet the requirements of all vehicle types-including cars, trucks and heavy vehicles. ACEA is concerned that there may be only 3.5 million charging points by 2030. According to the committee’s recent calculations, a 50% reduction in car carbon dioxide emissions by 2030 will require approximately 6 million public charging points. Since “FIT 55” introduces a new indicator for the target, ACEA members need to take time to see how this translates into the number of charging and refueling points that will be provided for driving across the EU, and whether their power meets the requirements of large vehicles (Ensure that there are enough high-power chargers suitable for trucks).

In 2020, more than 1/10 of the cars registered in the EU will be rechargeable. However, this positive trend can only continue if the government starts to invest in supporting infrastructure and implement meaningful and sustainable incentives. ACEA publishes this statistical progress report every year to monitor the availability of charging and refueling infrastructure and the affordability of zero-emission vehicles. The goal is to track the progress of these key enablers over time.

Formulating norms + incentive measures will help achieve the target in 2030

The European Parliament will negotiate with 27 member states. ACEA anticipates that it will be difficult to combine all the different parts of “FIT 55” and create a coherent support framework. Therefore, strong political coordination is essential to achieve the ultimate goal of tackling climate change in the most effective way, while making it affordable for all Europeans and retaining jobs for auto workers.

Electric vehicle sales are closely related to national GDP

According to ACEA’s latest research, the country’s differences in the sales of electric vehicles in the EU are obviously related to a country’s living standards. Battery electric vehicles and plug-in hybrid vehicles accounted for 10.5% of all new car sales in the EU last year. However, the market share of the 10 member states is still less than 3%. The analysis shows that consumers’ acceptance of electric vehicles is directly related to a country’s per capita GDP, which indicates that affordability is still a major issue; like the distribution of charging infrastructure, the availability of electric vehicles between Central and Western Europe There are obvious differences in affordability, and there are also obvious differences between North and South.

Countries with a total market share of electric vehicles of less than 3% have an average GDP of less than 17,000 euros. For example, this is the case in Central and Eastern European countries and Greece. More importantly, the five countries with the lowest electric vehicle market share also have few charging points. Each country is less than 1% of the EU’s total. On the other hand, more than 15% of the market share of electric vehicles only exists in the rich countries of Northern Europe, with an average GDP exceeding 46,000 euros. Nearly 3/4 of EU electric vehicle sales are concentrated in the four Western European countries with the highest GDP (Sweden, Netherlands, Finland and Denmark), and the remaining 1/4 of sales are distributed in 23 member states.

As recent data from the European Environment Agency show, the auto industry’s massive investment in low-emission vehicles is paying off. As the sales of electric vehicles tripled between 2019 and 2020, the average carbon dioxide emissions dropped by 12% last year, a record high. In order to continue to make progress on the road to zero carbon emissions, the European Commission must now ensure that all conditions are in place-and that no country or citizen is left behind. Zero-carbon vehicles must be affordable and convenient for everyone. Therefore, European automakers call on the EU to adopt appropriate incentives to stimulate the long-term sales of such cars and to set binding infrastructure targets for each EU member state.

Countries with the lowest share of electric vehicles + top 5 in their GDP (2020)
Cyprus: 0.5% – 23,580 Euro
Lithuania: 1.1% – 17,460 Euro
Estonia: 1.8% – EUR 20,440
Croatia: 1.9% – 12,130 Euro
Poland: 1.9% – 13,600 Euro

Countries with the highest share of electric vehicles + top 5 in their GDP (2020)
Sweden: 32.2% – 45,610 Euro
Netherlands: 25.0% – 45,790 Euro
Finland: 18.1% – 42,940 Euro
Denmark: 16.4% – 53,470 Euro
Germany: 13.5% – 40,070 Euro

Charging stations have not yet been widely used. Most of them are concentrated in 3 Western European countries

Another new ACEA data analysis shows that when it comes to the popularity of electric vehicle charging points throughout the European Union, the situation is completely unbalanced. 70% of EU charging stations are concentrated in only three countries in Western Europe: the Netherlands (66,665), France (45,751) and Germany (44,538). Together, these countries account for only 23% of the total area of ​​the EU. In contrast, the remaining 30% of the infrastructure is scattered in the remaining 77% of the region. In order to illustrate the degree of asymmetry in the distribution of charging points, Romania has approximately 6 times the land area of ​​the Netherlands and only has 493 charging points, accounting for 0.2% of the total number of charging points in the EU. There is also a large gap between Germany (19.9% ​​of all charging points in the EU) and Italy (5.8%), which ranks third. ACEA warned that if no action is taken now, it is unlikely to improve in the next few years.

ACEA said: “Anyone who wants to buy an electric or fuel cell car depends on having a reliable charging or refueling infrastructure-whether at home, at work or on the road.” According to calculations, the car will emit carbon dioxide by 2030. A further 50% reduction in volume will require approximately 6 million public charging points. The number currently available is less than 225,000, which means that charging stations must increase 27 times in less than 10 years.

ACEA emphasized that the automotive industry is fully committed to the ambitious EU green agreement, but the goals must be mutually binding. In view of the upcoming review of carbon dioxide standards for cars and trucks, this means that higher industrial emission reduction targets must go hand in hand with the same emphasis on infrastructure commitments by governments. In fact, Europe must set binding targets for EU member states to ensure the timely deployment of charging points and hydrogen refueling stations for alternative-powered cars and trucks.

Top 5 countries with the most charging stations
Netherlands (66,665)
France (45,751)
Germany (44,538)
Italy (13,073)
Sweden (10,370)

Top 5 countries with the fewest charging stations
Cyprus (70)
Malta (96)
Lithuania 174)
Bulgaria (194)
Greece (275)

Reference source: European Automobile Manufacturers Association (ACEA)

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