EU transport strategy sparks mixed industry reactions

European renewable industry associations have given a mixed reaction to the EU's sustainable mobility strategy, which lays the foundation for how the bloc's transport can achieve its green and digital transformation.

The European Commission yesterday published a strategy that included goals of having at least 30mn zero-emission cars on European roads, making 100 European cities climate neutral and having zero-emission marine vessels market-ready by 2030. By 2050, nearly all cars, vans, buses and heavy-duty vehicles shall be zero-emission, it said.

The commission said that this strategy should send a clear signal to fuel suppliers and operators that transport fuels must become carbon-neutral, and that sustainable, renewable and low-carbon fuels must be deployed on a large scale without delay.

But industry reaction depended on perceptions of where the commission's priorities lie.

Industry association Hydrogen Europe welcomed the strategy "as an ambitious roadmap for achieving at least a 90pc reduction in the transport sector emissions by 2050." It said that hydrogen has a role to play in sectors that are hard to electrify, such as heavy-duty transport, aviation and maritime, and approved of the targets for zero-emission cars and lorries. But it said that the comission's target for lorries and hydrogen-refuelling stations could be higher. The hydrogen sector forecasts up to 100,000 hydrogen-powered trucks by 2030.

In contrast, the European Biogas Association (EBA) described the strategy as a major setback for transport decarbonisation. It said the priority given to electricity and hydrogen means it lacks support for advanced biofuels, and said it will put unnecessary burden on the future availability of low-carbon electricity. Renewable and low-carbon fuels, such as biogas, are available and fit for use within the existing transport infrastructure, the EBA said.

It also said that the EU strategy supports technologies that are unaffordable for many consumers, and that this will prevent equal access to clean mobility.

The commission said that it will consider additional measures to support cleaner fuels, such as a revision of the recast Renewable Energy Directive (RED II).

By Sophie Barthel