Promoting the use of electric vehicles has caught the attention of public authorities, based on the fact that, at European level, the goal is to develop a new sustainable and competitive transport system and, at the same time, reduce emissions by 60% by 2050. In this context, the use of conventional vehicles that run on fuel is beginning to be restricted, at least in urban areas.
The biggest challenge is to restrict oil dependency in the transport sector without compromising its efficiency and mobility. According to the White Paper on Transport, “the transport sector should use less, purer energy; it should learn to better exploit a modern infrastructure and reduce the negative environmental impact”.
The idea of using electric vehicles instead of functional vehicles that run on fossil fuel has been and continues to be promoted as a vital element which brings both economic and environmental advantages. The challenge would be to use viable commercial electric vehicles on a large scale. Electric vehicles eliminate 20% of CO2 emissions (in the EU), a significant reduction which is in compliance with recent CO2 standards. EU’s objectives for 2030 cannot be fulfilled without a radical change in technology. Therefore, the authorities have begun to promote this means of transport, seeing as it offers excellent perspectives in terms of innovation, growth, competitiveness and job opportunities.
… and the feedback is positive
“The electrification of road transport could radically change the way mobility is organised. Ultra-clean and silent buses would improve the image of public transport; clean and silent service and delivery vehicles would improve the quality of life in cities. What we need now is to strengthen support for the necessary technological development, and pave the way for the market introduction of this technology in Europe, and thereby take the lead on a global level”, said EU Transport Commissioner Siim Kallas, during the European Electric Vehicles Conference 2011 held in May 2011.
The European Commission is already actively involved in supporting the development of electric vehicle technologies, allocating EUR 24 Million for the Green eMotion project.
The development of new technology, as well as the promotion and introduction of electric vehicles involve key factors at European level, from industry companies to manufacturers, municipalities, universities, technology research institutes, who want to become involved in the exchange and expansion of experience by creating a new means of transport that will be used on a large scale.
In the context in which the global population is moving towards 9 billion, “we will need transport services, but we need to do this in a sustainable manner. All economies need to move to a low carbon power system and ultimately use electric vehicles, but we need to implement a rigorous legal framework, especially in terms of applying policies for electric transport, because these projects require massive investments, that need to be taken over matters of decades, not just for the next election”, said Jeffrey Sachs, Director of The Earth Institute at Columbia University.
by Pamela Luică
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