Companies demand: Combustion engine phase-out for company vehicles as early as 2030

While some lament the EU's plans to phase out internal combustion engines by 2035, others cannot move fast enough:

30 companies and organisations, some of them large, have written an open letter to the European Commission calling for new company cars and delivery vehicles to be exclusively emission-free by 2030. New heavy-duty commercial vehicles should also be powered exclusively by zero-emission vehicles from 2035 and not just from 2040.

The signatories demand that a corresponding regulation be introduced by October of this year at the latest. In addition, individual member states should be allowed to enforce even stricter regulations in their own countries. "Transport is the biggest source of greenhouse gas emissions in the EU, so accelerating the electrification of road transport must be one of Europe's biggest priorities," the companies state in their letter addressed to Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, Executive Vice-President "Green Deal" Frans Timmermans and the Commission's Commissioner for Transport, Adina Valean. The electrification of vehicle fleets represents a great opportunity, she said. "Six out of ten cars sold in Europe are company cars, and these vehicles drive twice as much as private cars," the authors point out.

In addition, they say, the enormous impact on the rest of the car market must be considered. After all, the decisions on which vehicles to include in the fleets would also have a considerable influence on this, as these vehicles would end up on the private used car market a few years later. Companies are in the comfortable position of being able to act as pioneers in electrification, as they tend to make purchasing decisions based on the total cost of ownership, where electric vehicles have an advantage over internal combustion engines anyway.

"As leaders, we want to play our part in making Europe a greener and energy-independent continent. We also believe that smart regulation of fleet electrification will help us further accelerate the shift to electric vehicles. This will boost supply and demand while sending a strong signal to policymakers, car manufacturers and other industry players that the future is electric." - Excerpt from the open letter from 30 companies to the EU Commission

A faster electrification of vehicle fleets than planned so far would bring three major benefits, the authors state: "a rapid reduction in road transport emissions, the EU's shift away from Russian oil imports and, last but not least, the creation of a thriving second-hand market for affordable e-vehicles." In this context, however, massive investments in the charging infrastructure are imperative.