European Commission to promote electric vehicle charging station network

29 April 2010

The European Commission has given a boost to the deployment of electric vehicles throughout Europe by stating it will promote the development of a network of publicly-accessible high-voltage charging stations.

The plan is part of a sweeping new strategy for introducing more electric vehicles to the market which the European Commission said it sees as crucial to reviving the car industry and weaning Europe off oil.

It said the world appears to be on the cusp of an automotive revolution, with global demand expected to soar in coming years, with the entire global car fleet predicted to grow from 800 million to 1.6 billion vehicles by 2030.

‘This doubling of the global car fleet calls for a step change in technology to ensure sustainable in the long term in view of the goal of decarbonising transport. The strategy should therefore help European industry lead the world in deploying alternative propulsion technologies,’ the strategy document said.

The EC said it sees the growing demand for clean and efficient cars as a huge opportunity for an industry emerging from its worst crisis in decades.

‘But policymakers and industry experts agree that without a coherent approach and a high degree of coordination among stakeholders, green transport could have a hard time taking off in Europe,’ it said.

The strategy document also highlighted the threat global threat with technology developers from around the world investing heavily in electric vehicle development.

‘The EU’s global competitors on both the American and Asian continents are also investing in research in low-carbon technologies and launching targeted programmes to shift to low-carbon road transport,’ the report said.

‘They are taking steps to rapidly develop standards for alternative technologies. In order to permit its industry to stay competitive and ensure its position in green technologies, the EU must create the right framework for advanced products that will be needed worldwide.’

Earlier this week Nissan and GE announced they were to partner on research focused on developing a smart grid infrastructure. Nissan has also announced yesterday that it began construction of the Renault-Nissan Alliance’s first European plant for the production of advanced lithium-ion batteries in the UK.

Copyright © 2010 NewNet

Tags: electric vehicles

This story was published on Thursday, April 29th, 2010 at 12:02 pm and is filed under Europe, energy efficiency, energy storage, policy. You can follow any responses to article entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

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