Green cars a step closer to reality
In recent years, the EU realised the need for public-private partnerships (PPPs) to promote greener transport and help breathe life into an ailing automotive industry. One particular PPP, called the Green Cars Initiative, was established to support road and urban transport electrification. The EU-funded CAPIRE (Coordination action on PPP implementation for road-transport electrification) project helped to advance this objective and support the Green Cars Initiative. The project furthered research and development in the field, in addition to identifying projects that can enhance the competitiveness of Europe's electric car industry. It investigated different options and implementation paths for the PPP, outlining barriers and identifying research gaps and needs. By analysing research and development requirements, CAPIRE built roadmaps to power the electrification drive, involving different sectors of the economy and relevant public authorities. The roadmap was designed to guide stakeholders in producing safe, energy-efficient, carbon-free vehicles on a global scale. Such a vision is based on three technology pillars. The first is to reduce pollution by developing dedicated infrastructure to connect to carbon dioxide-free energy sources. The second is to upgrade transport of goods and people through electric trucks and buses, and the third is to optimise road and rail transport logistics. In this vein, the project team completed an in-depth study of European road transport research funding and updated electrification roadmaps first released in 2009, providing recommendations for Horizon 2020. It then articulated more detailed roadmaps and recommendations on long-distance road transport and logistics, covering major technology breakthroughs and technology optimisation cost effectively. Roadmaps related to horizontal areas such as infrastructure, information and communications systems, and simulation and testing were appended to the initial roadmap. Project progress has also hinged on customer acceptance through workshops and events facilitating research exchange and networking among stakeholders. The roadmaps are already forming the basis for EU-funded project calls, encouraging the sector's competitiveness and facilitating the realisation of clean electric vehicles in coming decades.
Keywords
Green cars, electric vehicles, automotive, public-private partnerships, transport electrification
