EU PLANS FOR THE EV

Europe charts route for electric car roll-out
Pete Harrison (w/Dale Hudson and Keiron Henderson), April 28, 2010 (Reuters)

"Europe took the first steps towards a massive roll-out of electric vehicles…backing up past rhetoric with plans for pan-European standards that the industry has cried out for.

"French carmaker Renault has joined forces with California's Better Place in a project to put electric cars and their charging infrastructure on the roads of Denmark and Israel by 2011…But critics question whether common standards will be ready in time, or whether investors risk laying down infrastructure that will later have to be torn up and replaced…"

EU leaders now see the evolution whole and are beginning to prepare. (click to enlarge)

"Electrical safety standards should be proposed this year, standards for charging the cars should be set by 2011, and crash risks should be reviewed by 2012 -- including risks due to the quietness of the vehicles…[according to European Union industry commissioner Antonio Tajani]…

"Car industry group ACEA noted that Europe's major competitors, such as the United States, Japan and China, were already one step ahead…Environmental groups welcomed the strategy, but questioned whether the EU could turn it into concrete laws without first watering it down. They also said it would be useless without measures to ensure the power comes from green sources…Other critics question whether the public will accept the higher costs and limited range of electric cars…"

The opportunity for innovation and commercialization is enormous. (click to enlarge)

"Tajani stressed that his green strategy was "technology -neutral" and allowed consumers to choose between all options, including hybrid vehicles, hydrogen vehicles and biofuels…[because some EU nations declared] in favour of electric cars, such as Spain, but others, such as the UK and Czech Republic [want diversification]…

"Other initiatives in the strategy include plans for fuel efficiency standards for trucks, motorcycles, quad-bikes and for the air-conditioning units of cars."