Page 12 - European Energy Innovation - autumn 2017 publication

12 Autumn 2017 European Energy Innovation
ELECTRO MOBILITY
Interview with Daniele Agostini
Daniele Agostini, Vice Chairman EURELECTRIC WG Energy & Resource Efficiency and Head of Low Carbon
and European Energy Policies, Enel
Q A lot of progress has been made
to reduce overall levels of
greenhouse gas emissions in Europe.
However, emissions from transport
continue to rise. What do you think is
the key solution to cutting emissions
from this sector?
Indeed, transport is responsible for
about a quarter of EU greenhouse
gas (GHG) emissions and it is almost
exclusively dependent on oil for fuel. It
is actually the only major sector in the
EU in which GHG emissions are still
rising – this is why it’s crucial now to put European Commission3 estimated that
a special focus on the transport sector.
Even though much can be done in
areas such as logistic optimisation
and light weighting, we see the
electrification of transport as the only
solution to move forward. I am not
speaking only about passenger cars,
but also about light and light duty
vehicles, as well as buses.
Battery electric vehicles reduce
drastically the GHG emissions of road
transport. They do not have any tailpipe
emissions and all emissions linked
to power generation are subject to
the EU ETS and thus capped. Even if
we wanted to count these emissions
as transport emissions, with the
current European power mix, electric
passenger cars emit 50gCO2/km1,
already significantly less than the 2021
fleet emission limit for new cars of
95gCO2/km.
In 2016, the average emissions of
new cars sold was still 118gCO2/km1.
Although there is still some room for
improvements in internal combustion
engines, they will not be sufficient to
get us even close to decarbonisation
of the transport sector. Let us also not
forget that other pollutant emissions,
such as nitrogen oxides and dust, major
causes of smog in our cities, can be
drastically reduced by switching to
electric cars, delivering an additional
big plus for air quality improvement.
This is becoming increasingly urgent
as according to the 2016 EEA
Report on air quality 85-91% of the
EU urban population is exposed to
concentrations of PM2.5 above the
WHO guideline value (data refer to
2012-2014). Poor air quality needs
to be addressed as it causes serious
problems to human health, making it
the number one environmental cause
of premature death in the EU. The
total health-related external costs of
poor air quality in 2013 were in the
range of €330–940 billion.
Q What role do you see for the
electricity industry now and in
the future in contributing to the
transport emissions challenge?
I believe that the electricity sector has We expect clear, long-term and
come a long way in its transformation
towards low carbon generation. In
2015, we generated 56%4 of all the EU’s
electricity from carbon free sources
and this share continues to increase
every year. We are investing widely in
low-carbon and innovative solutions
to achieve our commitment to deliver
carbon-neutral electricity supply by
2050, and this year we have stated our
intention not to invest in new-build
coal-fired power plants after 2020.
Therefore, electrification is the obvious
choice for driving the decarbonisation
of the transport sector.
We are therefore committed to provide
a decarbonised transport fuel. But
in order to continue this process of
decarbonisation, we need to engage
openly with non-energy industries, such
as automotive, construction and ICT,
to create value outside our traditional
boundaries. The transformation that
we are all facing requires collaboration
and coordination among industries
Daniele Agostini
and among countries to create a more
efficient system. It is the only way to
upscale and accelerate the emission
reductions effort required by the
Paris Agreement. Such cross-sectorial
partnerships are already blooming,
with many Eurelectric members playing
a key role in their creation. Public
policy should catalyse such process
by promoting initiatives supporting
collaboration across sectorial
boundaries.
Q We are waiting for the second
part of the Mobility Package
from the European Commission.
What do you expect from the
package? What actions are now
needed at the EU level to boost
electrification and the transition to
low carbon transport?
ambitious CO2 emission performance
standards that will lead to the
accelerated uptake of zero emission
vehicles. These standards will also
send a strong political message while
ensuring long-term investment and
innovation. They must be properly
verified and set on vehicles actually
sold, not only on vehicles offered on
the market.
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