If the initiative of a European parliamentary group succeeds, European companies could be forced to convert their car fleet to all-electric well before individuals.
The decision has been enacted since October 2022 by the 27 EU Member States: the sale of petrol-powered cars and vans will be banned by 2035. The implications of this new rule are numerous for Europeans in general, but it is companies may be affected even earlier by this change. Some lawmakers are pushing for fleets of professional vehicles switch to electric motorization from 2030.
The idea is to force companies, by regulation, to buy only electric cars and LCVs five years before the ban on the sale of heat engines. If this plan is effectively implemented, the entire fleet of European professional cars and small utility vehicles will be converted to all-electric in the next seven years. In France, the law already obliges companies with more than 100 cars to equip themselves with 10% low-emission vehicles. This share will be gradually raised to 70% by 2030.
Commission wants company fleets to be fully electrified by 2030
For Pascal Canfin, President of the Committee on the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety in the European Parliament, this decision, in addition to being good for the environment, will create an influx of electric cars on the second-hand market and will enable households to access affordable EVs. Semi-trailers and other industrial vehicles are not affected by these initiatives. According to experts, charging stations for electric trucks will consume as much as a small town. The road infrastructures are not ready to supply all the heavy goods vehicles in circulation on the Old Continent.
The advances of the European Commission are certainly closely followed by EV manufacturers. The majority of car manufacturers have already started the transition to the electric motor. The latter is not always smooth. Volkswagen had to recall 20,000 electric SUVs because they could stall without warning.
Source: Clean Automobile