Joint Statement: Technology Openness in CO2 Emission Standards
The Network for Sustainable Mobility* takes note of the emerging political debate on the decarbonisation of road transport and recognises with concern that the lack of technology openness in both regulations for light and heavy-duty vehicles severely constrains the choice of viable technologies to meet the CO2 reduction targets.
Mario Draghi’s report on competitiveness affirms that in the automotive sector the EU has failed to adhere to the technological neutral approach – an overarching, guiding principle of the EU legislation. As we envision a climate-neutral road transport system, we urge the co-legislators to rethink the long-held assumption for which only a limited list of technology solutions is suitable to reach climate neutrality in road transport. We therefore call for a revision of the CO2 standards regulations for vehicles in a way that recognises the necessity of a technology open approach, including the contribution of sustainable, renewable fuels (biofuels, e-fuels and more in general, fuels compliant with the Renewable Energy Directive), towards OEM’s CO2 reduction targets.
All breakthrough technologies with CO2 emissions reduction potential, should be allowed to contribute to complement electrification in the decarbonisation of the road transport system, leaving both the market and the consumer the choice of the most suitable and cost-effective options. This legislative recognition would result in a strong political signal to enable the successful market deployment of sustainable, renewable fuels.
We firmly believe that Europe's climate ambitions and industrial strength go hand in hand. The opportunity for continued dialogue on the EU’s industrial action plan for the automotive sector, as outlined in the Draghi report and the mission letter to Commissioner-designate for Transport, Apostolos Tzitzikostas, is highly anticipated. We also welcome the mission letter to Commissioner-designate for Climate, Wopke Hoekstra, which takes important steps towards technology neutrality. However, in line with the focus on CO2 reduction, we would like to point out that a targeted amendment needs to include all RED compliant fuels to drive the transformation of the value chain. Our Network supports a unified plan that champions both decarbonisation and competitiveness by utilizing the full spectrum of low-carbon technologies.
*About the Network for Sustainable Mobility:
The Network for Sustainable Mobility is a voluntary and informal gathering of stakeholders along the value chain representing the transport, engineering, fuel manufacturing and energy sectors supporting the role of sustainable renewable fuels in a climate-neutral road transport system.