By Martin Banks - 5th May 2011
Danish MEP Britta Thomsen told a conference that a 'greener and cleaner' transport system is an "essential step" towards reducing Europe's dependency on fossil fuels.
Speaking on Thursday, the Socialist deputy said that this should involve a transport system "where electric vehicles are front and centre".
She said, "We politicians should push for initiatives because green transport will not only allow the EU to drastically reduce its carbon footprint but also develop jobs and growth.
"EU action is needed now if we want electric vehicles to contribute to a sustainable future. I promise that I will keep electric vehicles high on my agenda."
Thomsen was speaking in Brussels at a workshop organised by Eurelectric, the EU representative body for the electricity industry.
Giving a keynote speech on the role of electric mobility, Thomsen said, "We are now at the crossroads of doing business as usual, or taking the responsibility for our actions and implement measures that will assure a carbon-free future.
"The European parliament has always been the progressive force on energy and renewables and I expect parliament to be the driving force to push forward on the initiatives to make electric mobility in our transport system a reality."
She said Europe should "embrace" zero-emissions vehicles powered by renewable sources such as wind and solar power.
"As we are facing a future with very limited fossil fuels the switch to electric transportation is inevitable and Europe has the opportunity to lead the transition."
She said that while she believes the commission's EU2020 strategy to be "unambitious", she said the executive had recognized that a greener economy can help Europe out of the economic crisis.
"Another commission initiative is the white paper on transport 2050, especially the aim of no more conventionally-fuelled cars in cities by 2050. This is the right path."
She added, "Though we are on the right track towards supporting green innovations, more needs to be done. Europe, China, Japan and the US are competing for the leadership position on electric vehicles in the global race for green jobs and economic growth.
"EU action is, therefore, needed for a regulatory framework which will ensure that Europe gets the leadership position."
She said that while the car industry was working hard on developing electric cars, there were three particular concerns, including charging infrastructure.
"If we are to convince citizens to substitute their conventional cars for electric cars we have to deliver a charging infrastructure they can trust. This is our first and biggest challenge – easy and safe charging."
Another concern, she said, is standards, adding, "Without harmonisation of standards, we will never have electric vehicles in a large commercial scale. We cannot have an industry with lots of different standards."
The third challenge, she said, is the connection between electrical vehicles and the development of so-called smart grids.
"In future, it must be possible with a special charger that fits all electric cars to connect to the smart grid," she said.
She added, "In my country, Denmark, we have worked on creating the good conditions for electrical vehicles. The cards are exempt from taxes. I would like to see other countries follow the Danish model – that will be important for developing green transport."
Another speaker, Christoph Saalfeld, manager of advanced engineering at Daimler AG, pointed out that the EU renewable directive stated that by 2020 10 per cent of energy consumption in the transport sector should come from renewables.
He said, "Electric cars are not boring. They are quiet and acceleration is good and they can be fun to drive."
Further comment came from Claude Ricaud, chairman of an e-vehicles task force at Schneider Electric, who cautioned, "Electric vehicles are the way ahead but to make it happen equipment manufacturers must play a leading role. Safety must also be a top priority."
A eurelectric position paper on the issue said, "Provided that electric vehicles are charged in a smart, controlled way, we see no reason to doubt that the functioning of market forces will turn such vehicles into a competitive transport technology."
