2024 Election Manifesto
PLATFORM’S MANIFESTO FOR THE 2024 EU ELECTIONS
2024-2029: Five Years to make the e-mobility transition a Success
The agreement to pursue zero emissions for Europe’s new cars and vans by 2035 backed up by strong charging infrastructure and development of alternatives such as rail network, and the sustainable batteries regulation, has set a clear direction and an unequivocal target for sustainable transport measures.
However, in order to make the Green transition a reality, and bring its benefits to people, the planet and business, it is vital that we act now. Making the transition to e-mobility must be a priority, not simply to deliver environmental sustainability but also to reinforce the EU’s industrial strength, security and competitiveness.
Time to put the Green Deal into action
● The support of the legislative efforts and ambitions of the EU Green Deal and notably The agreement to pursue zero emissions for Europe’s new cars and vans.
● Now it is time to implement those ambitions to reduce Europe’s dependency of fossil fuels, make it a global leader in the sustainable transport industries and priorities quality of life and workspace for Europeans.
● An effective green industrial policy will bring the benefits of Europe’s Green Deal to all.
1st Pillar
A Green and Just Industrial Policy
● Creating an integrated recycling industry ecosystem in Europe.
● Smartening and upgrading existing grid infrastructure to allow it to support greater levels of renewable energy.
● Ensuring strong end-of-life vehicles regulation, focused on low carbon and recycled materials.
2nd Pillar
Investment Plan to implement the Green Deal
● Making it easier for green energy transition sectors to access current EU funding mechanisms.
● Deploying infrastructures to support zero-emission passenger and freight transport across Europe.
● Introducing a dedicated budget for urban nodes, to avoid cities becoming a weak link.
3rd Pillar
People at the heart of the e-mobility ecosystem
● Supporting reskilling programmes to attract workers from traditional industrial sectors and aiding their transition into these emerging sectors.
● Enabling Vehicle-to-Grid (V2G).
● Mandating electric vehicle adoption in corporate fleets.
"It’s time to look ahead and see how the next legislative mandate can put the Green Deal into action. The agreement to pursue zero emissions for Europe’s new cars by 2035 has set a clear direction but this trajectory now needs to be implemented right."
— Julia Poliscanova, Vice-Chair Platform for electromobility
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EU Election Manifesto: People at the heart of the e-mobility ecosystem
Manifesto Third Pillar
People at the heart of
the E-mobility ecosystem
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. There should be communication campaigns aimed at raising the visibility – and value – of these technical fields. It will also be crucial to implement well-funded reskilling programmes that will attract workers away from existing traditional industrial sectors and into emerging sectors such as renewable energy, grid management, infrastructures and recycling. These programmes will upgrade workers’ skills, train future workforces and ensure a just transition for the workers, their employers, and regional authorities.
The wider adoption of electric vehicles and rooftop photovoltaic solutions offer significant opportunity to unleash ‘prosumer potential’ in Europe. Restructuring Europe’s electricity market will allow us to maximise this potential, specifically through creating opportunities for Vehicle-to-Grid (V2G) where appropriate. This would enable EV drivers to take an active part to the transition by supplying power back to the grid. Allowing them to be rewarded for providing additional grid capacity and thus making the energy system more dynamic and resilient.
It is critical that zero-emission mobility is affordable to everyone. To that end, both old and new electric mobility solutions must be scaled up across Europe: Existing facilities include public transport offerings, shared cars and e-bikes for situations where individual cars are unnecessary. When they are unavoidable, newer solutions include low-cost leasing options, targeted purchase incentives policies and industrial strategies that support the deployment of smaller, more-efficient battery models should be provided. The rapid uptake of electric vehicles within corporate fleets will accelerate their second-hand availability. Implementing the Climate Social Fund should help drive this transition with the least possible impact on lower income families.
EU Election Manifesto: Investment Plan to Implement the Green Deal
Manifesto Second Pillar
An Investment Plan
to Implement the Green Deal
The 2023 Net Zero Industrial Act and the Critical Raw Materials Act 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 European elections.
Freight and logistics infrastructure are a vital component in the movement of goods within Europe. There should be comprehensive investment in developing and deploying sustainable logistics infrastructure. The key elements for decarbonising freight in Europe while remaining competitive are the roll-out of high-power charging infrastructure required for deploying electric trucks of all ranges, the completion of a high quality, interoperable rail network with very high-speed connections, while ensuring a level playing field with other non-emitting modes of transport of goods.
Europe must also improve support for urban transport. Cities are working to accelerate the modal shift and to increase the electrification of their vehicle fleets. To avoid cities becoming the weakest links Europe should be providing parallel support to investments in zero-emission public transport networks and to the deployment of smart and efficient charging infrastructure within urban areas. To support the required local infrastructure investments, the next Connecting Europe Facility (CEF) transport programme should include a dedicated budget for urban nodes, building upon the experience of the Alternative Fuel Infrastructure Facility. Further support from EU research and innovation programmes as well as guidance, will also be needed to overcome challenges such as the constraint of public space, uneven distribution of private investments in EV charging infrastructure in cities or their integration in multimodal hubs, as well as lack of grid capacity.
Net Zero Sectors include the sustainable mining, processing and recycling of critical minerals and metals, modernising power grids and facilities for industrial material recovery as well as renewable energy production. Although existing European funds could contribute significantly, prioritising access to the current EU funding mechanisms and tailoring them to the specific needs of the sustainable transports value chain participants is essential.
EU Election Manifesto: A Green and Just Industrial Policy
Manifesto First Pillar
A Green and Just
Industrial European Policy
One of the richest ‘urban mines’ available to Europe is the supply of old batteries and other waste materials. By investing in integrated recycling and repurposing facilities for collecting, dismantling, recovering or reusing valuable metals from batteries, Europe can, by 2040, secure a large share of the metal resources it needs for battery production. Such an approach not just reduces waste, it is also scalable, preserving and reusing precious raw materials and keeping a greater proportion of them within Europe, increasing our strategic autonomy.
The overall concept of Europe keeping potentially valuable waste within its borders is one that should be widely adopted. Environmental recycling standards vary; exporting waste for processing to locations without equivalent standards undermines our own attempts to reduce environmental impacts. The EU should encourage recycling by establishing a harmonised approach to the intra-EU shipment of spent batteries. All. Executed properly, this can make Europe competitive in battery recycling, ensure the highest environmental standards and help create a flourishing recycling industry in the future
Resilient, affordable renewable energy will be key to a successful industrial policy; however, this demands that the correct grid assets are in place. With a European Grids Package, Europe can refresh and upgrade its infrastructure to meet the demand to accommodate higher levels of renewable energy. Although this will require investment, doing so will allow Europe to tap into its future grid asset – electric vehicles. It will accelerate the connection of chargers and other Green Deal enabling technologies and allow Europe to tap into the huge energy storage potential offered by electric vehicles.
Europe must also go further than simply reducing vehicle engine emissions; it needs a more-holistic approach to reducing the environmental footprint of all road vehicles. This means decarbonising manufacturing materials, increasing manufacturing efficiency and maximising the circularity of the materials used. Introducing digital product passports, revamping EU products policy to reduce environmental footprints and committing to deliver a strong end-of-life vehicles regulation based on low carbon and recycled materials, will be the key drivers for such change in the years ahead.
Finally, while a renewed European industrial policy has focused on key components and sub-systems, it is important that it considers the full scope of the mobility industries’ value chains supporting their global competitiveness as they address the green transitions.
EU Election Manifesto: Introduction
Manifesto introduction
Now is time to
put Green Deal into action
The agreement to pursue zero emissions for Europe’s new cars and vans by 2035 has set a clear direction and an unequivocal target for sustainable transport measures; with the last legislative session providing backing for the European Green Deal. We fully back these efforts, and urge support through enhancements to the existing charging infrastructure, the development of alternatives such as a strong rail network and a sustainable batteries value chain.
However, in order to make the Green transition a reality, and bring its benefits to people, the planet and business, it is vital that we act now. Making the transition to e-mobility must be a priority, not simply to deliver environmental sustainability but also to reinforce the EU’s industrial strength, security and competitiveness.
Now is the time to put the Green Deal into action
The Green Deal, its technologies and fully electric transport modes will 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. It will position Europe as an authoritative voice on the need for climate change action while bringing welcome economic growth and the creation of high-quality jobs.
The Green Deal will allow Europe to prioritise the quality of life of its current and future workforce. This will see the highest social standards put in place to protect the interests and livelihoods of Europe’s workers, both now and as part of a sustainable future.
An effective green industrial policy will bring the benefits of Europe’s Green Deal to all.
Continuing and 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. The Platform for electromobility – an alliance of companies, cities and NGOs – brings the knowledge and expertise to make an effective and efficient mobility transition a reality.
[Video] Peter Badik (GreenWay) on Electricity Market Design
Electricity Market Design
Peter Badik, CEO of GreenWay, on the importance of the reform of the Electricity Market Design.
The Platform for electromobility, uniting industries, civil society organisations and cities from the transport, energy and clean tech sector, welcomes the Electricity Market Reform (EMD) proposal as an important opportunity to support the build-out of grid-friendly e-mobility across Europe. We appreciate the proposals improve the existing electricity market framework in a way that facilitates cost-effective deployment of individual or aggregated smart and bidirectional electric vehicles (EVs) charging. As the EV market is growing rapidly, smart and bidirectional charging will quickly become one of the most important sources of demand-side flexibility. In the collective European effort to decrease fossil gas imports, EV charging flexibility will be instrumental to reduce consumer costs, greenhouse gas emissions and better integrate solar and wind in the grid. Importantly, by offering additional revenues or cost saving opportunities to EV owners, the reform accelerates EV take-up and the clean transport transition.
The Platform therefore urges co-legislators to keep the level of ambition and a swift adoption. The European Commission’s EMD reform proposal supports the uptake of e-mobility in the following ways:
The reform recognises EVs as flexibility resource
Member States will have to make a detailed assessment of the needs and the potential of demand-side response and storage. Based on the assessment, an indicative objective shall be set and supportive measures, such as a flexibility support scheme, may be introduced. It is important to properly include EVs as a source of demand response and storage in both the assessment of the flexibility needs and the objective for demand response and storage, and ensure appropriate participation of EV stakeholders in these assessments processes.
The reform further supports the participation of EVs in the markets
The threshold for participation in the day ahead and intraday markets get lowered to 100 kW, which makes them more accessible to aggregations of EV fleets. This will help develop the market for user-centric smart and bidirectional charging services. It may be advisable to extend this lower threshold also to capacity markets.
The reform accelerates planning for EV charging infrastructure
Transmission and distribution system operators will be financially incentivized to fully consider local demand side resources, such as EVs, when looking for solutions for grid congestion. System operators will propose further transparency and proactivity on their planning for connecting EV charging infrastructure, for example by sharing hosting capacity available for EV charging. This is essential information for providers of EV charging services and helps accelerate grid-efficient build-out of EV charging infrastructure.
Greening Corporate Fleets Initiative: support to the launch of a public consultation
The Platform for electromobility supports the launch of a public consultation on the Greening Corporate Fleets Initiative .
The members of the Platform for electromobility, a leading advocate for sustainable mobility and environmental development, hereby publicly expresses their strong support for the Greening Corporate Fleets Initiative included in the European Commission’s work program for 2023 and called for by the European Parliament in May 2022.
We understand that it will be difficult to launch and complete this initiative before the end of the Commission’s mandate in 2024. We would however very positively welcome the launch of a public consultation on this very important topic to collect as much data and information to guarantee the success of such an initiative at a later date.
The Greening Corporate Fleets Initiative represents a vital step toward accelerating the transition to electric mobility, ensuring a sustainable future for both our environment and society. By calling for a comprehensive framework for corporate fleet emissions reduction, this initiative aligns with our previous policy recommendations on the matter (the reasons, the concerns and the methods). We firmly believe that it presents an excellent opportunity to drive meaningful change while safeguarding the interests of the most modest individuals who should not bear the sole burden of the transition.
The environmental benefits of the Greening Corporate Fleets Initiative cannot be overstated. By incentivizing and supporting the adoption of electric vehicles across corporate fleets which are now electrifying slower than private vehicles[1], we can significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions and limit the impacts of transportation on our climate. This aligns with the ambitious climate targets set forth in the European Green Deal.
Furthermore, the social aspect of this initiative should not be overlooked. By focusing on corporate fleets, the Greening Corporate Fleets Initiative ensures a fair distribution of the costs associated with the transition to greener mobility solutions. As stated above, by shouldering a portion of the burden, corporations can contribute to building a more sustainable future while least-well-off families are not unduly burdened by the costs of this transition.
Moreover, the initiative’s emphasis on creating a robust second-hand market for electric vehicles is commendable. A thriving secondary market for EVs will not only enhance the affordability of these vehicles but also encourage the wider adoption of clean transport solutions. By stimulating the circular economy, this initiative will unlock significant economic and environmental benefits.
In conclusion, the Platform supports the Greening Corporate Fleets Initiative and encourages DG MOVE to promptly initiate a public consultation on this crucial matter. We believe that by working collaboratively, policymakers, industry stakeholders, and citizens can co-create a sustainable mobility landscape that fosters environmental stewardship, social equity, and economic growth.
[1] https://www.transportenvironment.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/Briefing-on-Fleets-Regulation-3.pdf
Weights & Dimensions Directive: ACEA, Platform for electromobility and Hydrogen Europe call it a priority in a joint letter
Open letter
Calling co-legislators for swift progress on the revision of the Weight and Dimensions Directive
To European Commission Executive Vice-President for the European Green Deal, Frans Timmermans
To the European Commissioner for Transport, Adina-Ioana Vălean
To Ambassador and Permanent Representative of Spain to the European Union, D. Marcos Alonso Alonso
To the Presidents of the TRAN and ENVI Committees of the European Parliament, Karima Delli and Pascal Canfin
To the Presidents of the European Parliament Political Groups,
Dear,
We, the undersigned representatives from the European Automobile Manufacturers’ Association (ACEA), the Platform for electromobility and Hydrogen Europe, representing the majority of industry stakeholders and civil society in vehicle manufacturing, direct electrification and hydrogen value chain, are writing to highlight the crucial role of establishing a full set of enabling conditions to support the transition of the European road transport industry to climate neutrality by 2050. The Review of the Weights & Dimensions (W&D) Directive is one crucial element of the regulatory framework to facilitate the market uptake of zero-emission, battery-electric and hydrogen-powered trucks and buses. We are concerned that any further delays and persistent uncertainty surrounding a timely adoption and implementation of a revised Weights and Dimensions Directive would be detrimental to our joint climate neutrality ambition and the EU target of 90% transport emission reduction by 2050.
Zero-emission vehicles (ZEVs) will have to become the backbone of road transport if the sector is to reach its decarbonisation targets. Zero-emission vehicles (ZEVs) come with additional requirements with respect to available space in the vehicles, total vehicle weight and axle weights. These ddifferences to vehicles powered by fossil fuels should be addressed in the review with an aim to remove any barriers that can hinder their market uptake and firmly place them on a level playing field with vehicles powered by fossil fuels.
The Review should specifically:
- Simplify the Directive as much as possible and ensure a fully harmonized implementation in Member States
- Provide additional weight allowances for zero-emission vehicles and adjust the provisions for axle weights and vehicle length to accommodate the requirements of zero-emission powertrains.
- Ensure intermodal compatibility in the revision of the Weights & Dimensions Directive.
The Weights & Dimensions Directive must be seen as a key enabler of the transition to climate neutrality and should as such also be acknowledged by the co-legislators.
ACEA, the Platform for electromobility, and Hydrogen Europe are united in calling on the European institutions, namely the European Commission, the incoming Spanish Council Presidency, the European Parliament and EU Member States to prioritize making the necessary adjustments in the Weights & Dimensions framework. It is imperative that progress is made swiftly to remove barriers in the Weights & Dimensions framework that may hinder the market adoption of zero-emission trucks and buses.
We trust that you share our sense of urgency and will take the necessary steps to ensure that Europe establishes a coherent and supportive regulatory framework to enable the swift decarbonisation of road transport and seizes the opportunities provided by sustainable mobility.
Sincerely,
