The transport sector in the EU is responsible for approximately 27% of CO2 emissions – electric mobility of one of the key solutions to be fostered in the fight against climate change. Cities, which are confronted with the negative externalities caused by traffic (pollution, congestion, noise, etc.), can be frontrunners in the promotion of electric mobility, with which they can reach their ambitious goals in terms of reducing carbon emissions and exhaust gases.
With substantial vehicle fleets of their own, local governments and other public sector organisations, are perfectly positioned to effect change by purchasing EVs – however, constrained by restricted public budgets, substantial barriers remain in terms of higher upfront costs and developing recharging infrastructure. Moreover, although electrification is developing quickly within the cars market, heavy duty vehicles present a much more significant challenge, given the huge power requirements of the vehicles necessitating the use of heavy and expensive batteries.
Local governments represent a major market for specialist heavy-duty vehicles, such as waste trucks, street-sweepers and snow-ploughs, as well as for more standard light and heavy duty delivery vehicles – both as direct procurers, but also through the services they procure.
The activities of the BBI working group on heavy-duty electric vehicles have focused on:
A press release on the future electric vehicle purchasing plans from the cities in the working group.
A report on key takeaways from the collaboration between the cities involved in the working group
A list of some of the heavy-duty electric vehicles available on the market (feel free to add!)
