Page 10 - European Energy Innovation - spring 2020 publication

10 Spring 2020 European Energy Innovation

ELECTRIC MOBILITY

Why electric mobility is
destined to be truly clean
and achievable?

By Petar Georgiev (pictured), Advisor for Climate Policy & Electric mobility at Eurelectric

Electric vehicles are becoming addressed and debunked with facts, their combustion-engine equivalents.
the new normal across evidence and real industry examples.
Europe – for politicians, Moreover, 70% of all coal plants in
industry and citizens. We Renewables dethroned the dirty Western Europe will be phased-out in
can have a lengthy debate as to King Coal the next five years. If we are serious
who is driving this transition and Europe is witnessing a power shift. about climate targets, the formula is
what must improve, but it has In 2019, hard coal and lignite-fired simple: decarbonise and electrify.
become clear that the power power generation fell in every EU
sector leads the transformation. country – and by 24% overall (Agora Governments must ensure that
Energiewende and Sandbag). For decarbonised electricity is the
Unfortunately, a number of myths the first time ever, wind and solar favoured option for charging,
tend to hijack the discussions on combined provided more electricity especially in countries where the
the benefits of electric mobility than coal. As a result of this ongoing carbon intensity of the energy mix
and hamper the uptake of electric trans ition, electricity’s carbon remains relatively high.
vehicles. Sceptics often criticise the footprint has decreased by 32% since
source of electricity generation, the 2012, proving that the transformation This is possible as operators of
amount of energy needed or the is real. The reduced carbon intensity charging points largely select
availability of charging points. Such of electricity is already making electric decarbonised energy suppliers for
common misconceptions must be vehicles increasingly cleaner than their stations. A survey conducted

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