Page 4 - EurOil Week 27 2021

EurOil COMMENTARY EurOil

Debate over decarbonising

road transport heats up

EU policy is expected to be heavily in favour of electric vehicles, but there

are calls not to overlook the role of renewable, sustainable fuels

EUROPE AS the EU prepares to clamp down on emissions recognise the contribution of renewable sustain-
from road transport, an association representing able fuels in the vehicle CO2 standard.
WHAT: Europe’s natural gas vehicle (NGV) industry has “This would support the scale-up of the pro-
The EC will propose urged Brussels against a “de-facto ban” on inter- duction of low and net-zero carbon fuels, and
regulation to reduce road nal combustion engines (ICEs). allow the EU to enable climate-neutral trans-
transport emissions this The European Commission is set to pub- port timely, socio-economically efficiently, and
month as part of its Fit for lish its Fit for 55 legislative package in mid-July, while leaving no one behind,” the association
55 package of legislation. aimed at aligning the EU laws and regulation explained. “This is particularly the case, as dis-
with the bloc’s recently adopted target of reduc- regarding the fuels’ contribution, in addition to
WHY: ing CO2 emissions by 55% by 2030. As part of the vehicle CO2 targets becoming more severe,
The goal is to align bloc the package, it is expected that tougher CO2 would result in a de-facto technology ban on the
legislation with the standards will be proposed, as well as an emis- internal combustion engine (ICE) that would be
goal of reducing CO2 sions trading programme for road transport. not just unjustifiable, but actively detrimental.”
emissions by 55% by The critical issue is that the EC is anticipated NGVA noted it was clear that EVs had a cru-
2030. to focus mainly on exhaust emissions. This cial role to play in decarbonising road transport.
would put all vehicles using ICEs at a disadvan- But at the same time, it is “becoming increas-
WHAT NEXT: tage, regardless of whether they run on cleaner ingly apparent that narrow technology mandates
NGVA and others are fuels such as natural gas, or even biogas, which could hamper the transition through higher cost,
urging Brussels to adopt can potentially make them carbon neutral when and neglect of the additional CO2 savings of
a technology-neutral the entire supply chain is considered. At the renewable sustainable fuels.”
approach whereby both same time, it would give electric vehicles (EVs) The focus needs to be on decarbonising the
electric vehicles and a significant advantage, as they do not produce energy rather than the engine, NGVA said,
renewable sustainable exhaust fumes and the emissions from their noting that the overall carbon footprint of a
fuels play key roles in the manufacture would be ignored. renewable sustainable fuel-using vehicle was
decarbonisation effort. NGVA Europe stressed in a letter to the EC comparable to an electric car running on renew-
dated July 2 that it was “increasingly urgent to able power. The added benefit is that renewable

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