European Electric Car Policy = More CO2 Emission
This isn't hot of the press or anything, but a few days ago I read a little news article on electric mobility, European policy and CO2 emission that got me thinking. The German government decided to stimulate electric mobility and support this new industry with a few billion euro's. For most people this will sound like good news, while in fact it isn't (yet). Why? Because Germany supplies these electric cars with fossil based energy. And Germany isn't the only country with holes in it's policy....
This isn't hot of the press or anything, but a few days ago I read a little news article on electric mobility, European policy and CO2 emission that got me thinking. The German government decided to stimulate electric mobility and support this new industry with a few billion euro's. For most people this will sound like good news, while in fact it isn't (yet). Why? Because Germany supplies these electric cars with fossil based energy. And Germany isn't the only country with holes in it's policy.
Jos Dings, director of Transport & Environment, said European policy on electric mobility actually causes more CO2 emission. There's a strange exception in EU law that states that a car company can sell 3,5 gasoline drinking SUV's for every electric car they sell and still safely meet EU climate standards. Dings predicts that current policy will cause a raise in CO2 emission rather than a decrease. Jos Dings advocates for better EU CO2 guidelines and laws, otherwise the car industry won't see any reason to stop producing and selling high emission cars.
I think Jos might be a little pessimistic, but I get his point. Every major company and every government jumped on the bandwagon of electric mobility. Some without realizing that electric mobility needs energy. If all cars in Europe would be electric, the continent would need 15% more energy. If a country like Germany doesn't invest in alternative energy first, investing in electric mobility makes no sense at all.
Jos Dings, director of Transport & Environment, said European policy on electric mobility actually causes more CO2 emission. There's a strange exception in EU law that states that a car company can sell 3,5 gasoline drinking SUV's for every electric car they sell and still safely meet EU climate standards. Dings predicts that current policy will cause a raise in CO2 emission rather than a decrease. Jos Dings advocates for better EU CO2 guidelines and laws, otherwise the car industry won't see any reason to stop producing and selling high emission cars.
I think Jos might be a little pessimistic, but I get his point. Every major company and every government jumped on the bandwagon of electric mobility. Some without realizing that electric mobility needs energy. If all cars in Europe would be electric, the continent would need 15% more energy. If a country like Germany doesn't invest in alternative energy first, investing in electric mobility makes no sense at all.
