Europe's power and auto industries on Tuesday called for urgent grid upgrades to support the rapid electrification of heavy-duty vehicles (HDVs), warning that current progress falls far short of EU’s 2030 climate targets.
In a joint statement, the European power industry association Eurelectric and the European Automobile Manufacturers' Association (ACEA) outlined seven policy recommendations to accelerate the adoption of zero-emission vehicles and the deployment of necessary infrastructure.
Despite EU targets aiming for 300,000 to 400,000 zero-emission trucks on European roads by 2030 under the CO2 Emission Standards for HDVs regulation, 'we are nowhere close to that target,' the statement noted.
In 2023, electric trucks made up just 1.5% of the market, compared to 14% for electric buses.
'Therefore, electric HDVs will need to increase substantially to meet the 2030 target, and Europe needs to create the enabling conditions for the expected market uptake,' ACEA said.
The two associations called for accelerated grid anticipatory investments by distribution system operators (DSOs), streamlined permitting, and faster rollout of depot and en-route charging stations.
They also urged the adoption of a fair remuneration framework for DSOs, emphasizing its importance in attracting private investment for grid upgrades.
Other recommendations include harmonized grid hosting capacity maps, action on supply chain bottlenecks for key materials such as transformers, copper and aluminum plus improved data exchange across market players to align grid planning with vehicle charging demand.
By Handan Kazanci
Anadolu Agency
energy@aa.com.tr