The European Commission has detailed its proposed directive to meet a 60 per cent target reduction in CO2 emissions in the transport sector by 2050 by investing in an improved infrastructure for alternative fuels.
Speaking at Integer’s 9th Diesel Emissions Conference & AdBlue Forum Europe, Mr. Kemal Önel, Policy Officer, Clean Transport & Sustainable Urban Mobility Unit, DG Mobility & Transport at the European Commission, stressed the importance of alternative fuels in meeting this target. He said that different recharging and refuelling technologies have led to isolated national and regional markets across member-States and that the European Commission aims to develop a single market for alternative fuel infrastructure.
The conference brought together over 200 senior representatives from across the automotive industry, including OEMs, policy makers, manufacturers and suppliers to discuss developments in diesel emissions.
The proposed directive plans to introduce a common standard across all EU countries by 2015 with the alternative fuels infrastructure fully implemented by 2020. The plans include development of a minimum number of recharging points for electric vehicles and refuelling points for hydrogen, LNG and CNG vehicles.
The European Commission has estimated that the alternative fuels infrastructure will cost Euro 10 billion but that it would generate saving of Euro 18 billion through benefits to the environment, improved energy security and savings on oil.