Under the umbrella of the European Automobile Manufacturers' Association (ACEA), CEOs of European car makers met recently with the European Commission vice-president for the European Green Deal, Frans Timmermans, for a "constructive" discussion on climate change and CO2 emissions.
"EU policy makers and the auto industry share the European Green Deal's vision of climate neutrality by 2050," said Oliver Zipse, ACEA president and CEO of BMW.
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"But the Green Deal needs to live up to its name; we need a real 'deal' between our industry and EU governments to achieve the overarching goal of lowering the CO2 emissions of the transport sector. On this path, every available technology needs to play its role.
"We are bringing the required technology to the market at a very high pace and are committed to delivering more zero-emissions vehicles. But we need governments to deliver on the charging and refuelling infrastructure needed to power them at the same high pace. We are pleased that Timmermans recognised that these tasks are intrinsically interconnected," added Zipse.
Timmermans said: "We need to move towards near-zero emission transport as soon as possible. It is an enormous challenge, but I am confident the European car industry is up to the task. Our car manufacturers are innovative and experienced in producing affordable cars. Our policies will be designed to support the shift: stricter emissions norms to boost the uptake of clean vehicles, and investments in charging infrastructure and battery production to support the already rapid growth. By managing this transition we will make it a just transition. And together we will make electric driving accessible to all."
The meeting between ACEA and Timmermans was held ahead of the upcoming reviews of the CO2 Regulation for cars and vans as well as the Alternative Fuels Infrastructure Directive (AFID).
