Decarbonisation Technology - February 2022 Issue

emissions) relies on a number of assumptions, none of which are predetermined across all the EU countries:  Accelerated investment in charging infrastructure for EVs is sufficient to meet demand and overcome fears of ‘range anxiety’. Roadside and pavement (sidewalk) EV charging infrastructure should take into consideration the needs of pedestrians and cyclists as well as the motorist.  Accelerated investment in renewable electricity supply can satisfy the increasing demand from the transition to electric vehicles (both BEVs and PHEVs, together termed EVs) as well as the decarbonisation of energy for industrial processes, commercial and domestic buildings.  Investment in renewable energy storage (RES) capacity, including batteries, hydrogen, and thermal storage, is sufficient to ensure resilience for periods where peaks in demand and troughs in supply (intermittency) are coincidental. During the transition, reserves of fossil power should be maintained.  More affordable EVs and/or alternative transport models, such as ride sharing, have

point, a commonly reported concern for both PHEV and BEV drivers. Furthermore, the latest generation of PHEVs have batteries that can cover 100 km in electric mode. The European Road Transport Research Advisory Council (ERTRAC) points out that “the negative impacts of making possibly wrong decisions too early, are significant”. Europe is playing a leading role in the transition of road transport. The EU encourages car makers to increase sales of EVs through a regulation that limits the average CO 2 emissions allowed for the vehicles sold in a given year. The current limit (allowance) is 95 gCO 2 /km and a heavy penalty is imposed on car makers that exceed the limit (European Commission, 2009). The EU is considering reducing this allowance to zero by 2035. In addition, several European countries (and California) have announced bans on new sales of ICEVs (see Figure 2 ). The mainstream car manufacturers have responded to these strong regulatory signals by extending their range with BEVs and some have dropped ICEVs from their range. Test assumptions to build resilience in the transition However, a successful transition (with success defined as a real reduction in life-cycle carbon

2030 Iceland 2025 Norway

2035 Canada

2035 United Kingdom

2035 Denmark 2030 Sweden 2030 Netherlands

2040 France 2030 Ireland

2030 Austria

2035 California (United States)

2030 Slovenia

2040 Spain

2050 Costa Rica

2035 Cape Verde

2030 Singapore

2025 2050 International Zero-Emission Vehicle Alliance (IZEVA) 2050 2040 2035 2030 Target to allow the sale or registration of new BEVs, and FCEVs only

Target to allow the sale or registration of new BEVs, FCEVs and PHEVs only

2030 2035

Figure 2 Global summary of governments with official targets to phase out new sales of internal combustion engines by a certain date Source: https://ukcop26.org/transport