The European Commission has revealed an ambitious plan to promote the use of greener vehicles and establish Europe as a global leader in the development of greener transport solutions.
The wide-ranging strategy entitled ‘A European strategy on clean and energy efficient vehicles’ (located here) includes plans to; support research and innovation in green technologies, continue legislative programmes on vehicle emission reduction, ensure that alternative fuelled vehicles are as safe as conventional ones, promote common standards that will allow all electric vehicles to be charged anywhere in the EU, encourage installation of publicly accessible charging points, promote the development of smart electricity grids and finally update the rules and promote research on recycling of batteries.
Commission Vice-President Antonio Tajani in charge of industry and entrepreneurship said: “In 2010, the automotive industry enters into a defining phase for its future success. The new European strategy will provide a supportive framework based on a twin-track approach: improving the efficiency of conventional engines and making ultra low-carbon mobility a reality for European consumers.
“Including all types of vehicles in the strategy will ensure that this parallel approach will strike the right balance between securing the future competitiveness of our car manufacturing industry without compromising our long-term goals for the reduction of greenhouse gases and other pollutants. The strategy also aims at achieving common standards for electrical cars so that they can be charged everywhere in the EU.”
Transport accounts for about a quarter of the EU’s emissions of carbon dioxide. Last year saw a 59 per cent rise in EU demand for cars with the lowest CO2 emissions – the sharpest increase ever.
