Why exclude renewable fuels? Let’s go back to science
FuelsEurope strongly supports a transition to a decarbonized road transport system. But to achieve this, we need policies that leverage all available technologies. The question of whether to ban or allow specific technologies detracts from the real challenge and the ultimate goal of real carbon dioxide reduction. In order to be efficient and pragmatic, we need to go back to science again, to assess and prove the real carbon dioxide reduction benefit of all available technologies over their lifecycle. Focusing solely on electrification, EU regulations are missing an opportunity to accelerate carbon reductions across the vast majority of the hundreds of millions of vehicles on the EU roads, not just new electric vehicles. Other strategic parameters such as the security of supply and critical infrastructure, competitiveness challenges, strategic dependencies, the resilience of economies and societies, and affordable access to mobility for all should not be ignored either.
Unfortunately, Europe has recently been experiencing the consequences of this narrow approach as alarm signals are multiplying. The car industry’s increasing struggle to meet carbon targets for 2025 and onwards, solely through the electrification pathway, reveals international competitiveness challenges and customers’ reluctance to embark on the full electrification vision. A robust technical and economic reassessment of critical legislative pieces, such as the vehicles carbon dioxide standards regulations, is imperative and more than urgent. We must readjust the pathway to climate neutrality and open the doors to all carbon reduction technologies, not just one. There is no time to lose.
We must readjust the pathway to climate neutrality and open the doors to all carbon reduction technologies, not just one.
The immediate benefits to climate, consumers and the car industry
Renewable fuels offer a unique advantage: they work seamlessly within existing infrastructures and can fuel the entire fleet, old and new, as of today, at no additional fleet or infrastructure cost. This means that all vehicle owners, not just those who can afford new electric cars, could contribute to reducing carbon emissions.
As the automotive industry faces looming carbon reduction mandates and significant, disproportionate financial penalties, recognizing the decarbonization potential of renewable and low-carbon fuels can help the industry’s compliance with its reduction targets. In turn, this will help with safeguarding thousands of jobs, maintaining the industry’s competitiveness and making a decarbonized transport system more accessible to citizens across Europe, regardless of their ability to purchase new electric vehicles. Establishing the right policy framework would also provide a clear signal to investors in renewable fuels, encouraging the transformation of existing assets and enabling substantial contributions toward climate neutrality by 2050. This would also ensure a reliable supply of sustainable and affordable energy while fostering an innovative, globally competitive EU-based industry. Such measures would pave the way for a thriving market for advanced biofuels and e-fuels, driving economic growth, creating jobs and delivering significant environmental benefits.
