Abstract
As the first sealed deal of the ‘Fit for 55’ package, the phase-out of the combustion engine in European new car sales by 2035 is now official. The transition to electromobility is gaining momentum and this is good news. However, the pattern (and the underlying business model) of electrification is far from ideal. New fault-lines are being created, with a rising inequality in consumer composition both between and within countries doing nothing to support a broader mobility shift. This is not only socially unjust, but also puts the achievement of the 2050 net-zero transport goals at risk. The continuing ‘upmarket drift’ in the industry – which is seeing the production of heavier, faster and more expensive battery electric vehicles (BEVs) and plug-in hybrids that, among other problems, have larger battery needs – is also putting a strain on critical material use.
This workshop will be framed by the question: to what extent does the current European regulatory framework for road transport truly serve the objectives of transport decarbonisation, affordable mobility, and a just mobility transition that maintains jobs in Europe’s transport ecosystem? Specific points of discussion will include the role of the mass-adjustment formula in vehicle emission standards, battery footprints, and the prospect of more stringent energy-efficiency BEV standards.
Draft agenda
9.30 – 9.50 Welcome: Philippe Pochet (ETUI) and introduction: Bela Galgoczi (ETUI)
9.50 – 11.15 A European perspective of a fast-track transition to electromobility, Tommaso Pardi (Gerpisa, ENS Paris-Sarclay, CNRS)
Comments: Celine Domecq (Volvo Cars) and Benjamin Denis (IndustriAll)
Moderator: Philippe Pochet (ETUI)
11.15 - 11.30 Break
11.30 – 13.00 Panel 1: Does the current regulatory framework support the 2050 climate policy objectives and the broader mobility shift? What adjustments are necessary?
Speakers: Alex Keynes (Transport & Environment), Benjamin Krieger (CLEPA), Thomas Neumann (Avere), Cristina Tilling (ETF) and Fabio Domanico (DG Employment, European Commission)
Moderator: Sarah Mewes (Next Economy Lab)
13.00 – 14.00 Lunch
14.00 - 15.30 Panel 2: The future of the European automotive industry and geopolitics with view on jobs and value chains: IRA, the Green Deal Industrial Plan and the challenge from China
Speakers: Judith Kirton-Darling (IndustriAll), Ines Haug (M-FIVE), Lorena Ionita (DG GROW, European Commission), Alejandro González (SOMO), Petr Dolejsi (ACEA)
Moderator: Bela Galgoczi (ETUI)
15.30 – 16.00 Discussion and final remarks