Trilogue agreement on fleet targets: "The EU must now take immediate action regarding framework conditions"

The trilogue agreement on the fleet targets as part of the 'Fit for 55 package' sets ambitious goals without advancing the necessary prerequisites for successfully mastering the transformation.

"The automotive industry firmly supports the Paris climate goals and is resolutely driving the rapid ramp-up of electromobility: With the huge expenditures for research, development and the conversion or new construction of plants, the industry is demonstrating its determination to let the transformation become an international success story," explains VDA President Hildegard Müller.

"The trilogue agreement on the fleet targets is now setting ambitious goals - without leaving any options available to react to current developments and challenges: It is negligent to set goals for the period after 2030 without being able to make appropriate adjustments. This is particularly true concerning the necessary ramp-up of the charging infrastructure and also with regard to other factors such as  impending new dependencies on raw materials and the sufficient supply of renewable energies.

To put it plainly: the EU must now take immediate action on the framework conditions. In this context, the EU must now also conclude energy partnerships and raw material agreements as quickly and decisively as possible in order to ensure a corresponding supply for the future - and to enable the target attainment. In principle, the following still applies: In order to actually achieve diversification and resilience, a technology-neutral approach must be guaranteed," says Müller.

"It is also crucial that the CO2 fleet regulation is considered together with the AFIR – i.e. the rapid and binding expansion of the charging infrastructure. In contrast to fleet regulation, however, we are still at the very beginning of the AFIR trilogue negotiations: If the specified targets of the AFIR are missed in all or some member states or the current targets turn out to be insufficient, there is no mechanism available for a quick and reliable follow-up. The fleet targets however still remain binding regardless of the actual expansion of the infrastructure.

Therefore, the AFIR negotiations must now be brought to fruition quickly and bindingly with an ambition level that at least corresponds to that of the EU Parliament's proposal. The fact is: Without an early expansion of the charging and hydrogen tank infrastructure, we will not be able to achieve the rapid ramp-up of electromobility that goes hand in hand with the new CO2 fleet targets," emphasizes Müller.

"The ambitious climate targets in transport cannot be achieved without including the existing fleet. This becomes clear when you look at the 280 million combustion engines in the EU alone and around 1.5 billion worldwide. To let these vehicles  operate in a climate-neutral manner, we also need synthetic fuels. They are an important addition to the rapid ramp-up of electromobility. The revision of the Renewable Energy Directive (RED) as part of the 'Fit for 55 package' sets the right path, but regrettably with far too low an ambition level: a higher greenhouse gas reduction rate is necessary particularly in road traffic to leverage the potential of the vehicle stock with climate-friendly fuels.

Here, too, the trilogue negotiations on RED between the Commission, Council and Parliament must be progressing rapidly and must embrace the enormous importance of this lever for climate protection. In concrete terms, this means that a significantly higher greenhouse gas reduction quota, more ambitious sub-quotas for e-fuels and a target path for the period after 2030 are needed," says Müller.