There is an urgent need to rectify the ‘Fit for 55’ package and, more generally, the trajectory of electrification in Europe, because the EU’s objectives for 2050 are in jeopardy, according to a study published on Monday 6 May by the independent research and training centre of the European Trade Union Confederation (European Trade Union Institute or ETUI).
The ETUI recommends phasing out the vehicle weight-based standards regime and replacing it with a more energy-efficient regime, incorporating life-cycle analysis, to ensure that a car’s total carbon footprint is properly accounted for.
In addition, there are three major problems with the ‘Fit for 55’ package. Firstly, the ban on internal combustion engine vehicles in 2035 will lead to the almost total disappearance of a European industrial sector specialising in the manufacture of conventional powertrains and transmissions. Secondly, electric vehicles are currently much more expensive than internal combustion engine vehicles, which raises the issue of affordability. Thirdly, the European automotive industry will no longer benefit from technical and regulatory protectionism.
Read the study: https://aeur.eu/f/c67 (Original version in French by Anne Damiani)