European Commission will propose law to electrify corporate fleets
The European Commission is preparing to introduce new legislation. This forthcoming law will focus on mandating the transition of corporate vehicle fleets across Europe away from traditional combustion engines. The proposed legal framework aims to promote and accelerate the adoption of electric vehicles within companies, effectively electrifying their entire operational fleets.
“This may sound geeky but it’s not”, says Stef Cornelis. The Director of the Electric Fleets Programme at advocacy group Transport & Environment has spotted a small phrase in Ursula von der Leyen’s mission letter to Apostolos Tzitzikostas (pictured) that could have huge consequences for corporate fleets across the EU.
A “mission letter” is a brief description of what Ms von der Leyen, re-instated as President of the European Commission, expects from her commissioners. As the seven-page letter makes clear, Mr Tzitzikostas, the brand new European Commissioner for Sustainable Transport and Tourism, will have plenty on his plate. Including this:
“You will work to speed up the electrification of road transport. As part of this, you will oversee the swift build-up of charging infrastructure and look at how to simplify the issue of charging fees and payment means. You will put forward a legislative proposal for clean corporate fleets.”
It’s that last sentence in particular that piqued Mr Cornelis’s interest. In the previous months and years, Transport & Environment has been among the organisations lobbying for the EU to set targets for the electrification of corporate fleets – as is already happening at national level in a few of the EU’s member states.
That short phrase of just 11 words seems to indicate that the Commission has taken on board this point. Or as Mr Cornelis sees it: “The European Commission has just announced they will propose legislation to speed up the electrification of company cars, and possibly beyond (cars), even including van and truck fleets.”
“Why is this relevant? About 60% of new cars in the EU are corporate. They drive on average twice as much than private (cars) and already enter the used car market after 3 to 4 years. In other words, this will change the dynamic in the EV market, boost demand for electric cars across the continent, slash transport emissions and accelerate the EV uptake in the used cars market.”
What will be the shape of the new Commissioner’s proposal legislative proposal for cleaner corporate fleets? That remains to be seen, but for now, the announcement itself is “a massive step forward” for the electrification of corporate fleets, and mobility overall, in Europe, Mr Cornelis writes on LinkedIn.
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