According to fresh analysis from the advocacy organization Transport & Environment (T&E), an increase in the adoption of electric vehicles will result in Europe saving around 20 million tonnes of CO2 this year.
This is comparable to the pollution from eight coal-fired power stations and signifies one encouraging development in an industry famously challenging to make cleaner.
Transportation is the sole sector that continues to emit more greenhouse gases compared to its levels in 1990, trailing behind industries, power production, and construction sectors since it accounts for approximately
a third
Regarding EU pollution, T&E’s most recent report on the state of European transportation has been released.
report
shows that emissions have begun to decline.
“The EU’s environmental policies are finally having an impact. With the shift towards electric vehicles, we’re witnessing a significant reduction in transportation-related emissions,” states William Todds, who leads T&E as their executive director.
In 2024, Europe’s transportation sector emitted 1.05 billion tonnes of CO2, which is a reduction from the 1.1 billion tonnes recorded in 2019—a decrease of 5%. This significant decline can be attributed mainly to the increased adoption of electric vehicles, which has surged dramatically in recent years, thereby displacing gasoline and diesel-powered options.
Now is certainly not the time to retract environmental initiatives,” asserts Todts. “To ensure the continent’s well-being and safety, we should intensify our efforts at this moment.
Effective environmental measures have led to a surge in electric vehicles.
Automobiles are the largest contributors to transportation-related pollution, emitting a combined total of 450 megatonnes of CO₂ equivalent emissions annually, accounting for 13 percent of all greenhouse gas emissions within the European Union.
Battery electric vehicles
(BEVs) are already three times more environmentally friendly compared to petrol vehicles, and this advantage will increase as the electricity used to power them becomes even greener, according to T&E.
The advocacy group forecasts that there will be 8.8 million battery electric vehicles on European roads this year, indicating that one out of every five newly purchased cars in the EU will emit no exhaust fumes.
The report attributes much of this advancement primarily to the European Union’s CO₂ regulations for vehicles. These guidelines offered clarity for automotive manufacturers leading up to the 2025 objective. As companies have committed resources to shift their manufacturing processes toward electric vehicles, and as battery costs continue to decline, we can expect an increased availability of more budget-friendly and widespread models by 2025.
Is the EU equipped with sufficient charging stations for all its electric vehicles?
Many people still view insufficient charging stations as a barrier to purchasing an electric vehicle. However, T&E analysis indicates that the infrastructure has kept up with the increase in battery electric vehicles.
Under the EU Alternative Fuels Infrastructure Regulation (AFIR), each country has annual targets based on a ratio of total charging power output and the number of electric cars on the road. The bloc’s 2025 target was exceeded back in 2022, and there are now more than 1,100
charge points
.
Across major roadways, 11 nations have achieved the EU objective of installing charging stations every 60 kilometers. Additionally, the AFIR is accelerating the deployment of electric vehicle charging facilities within urban areas, where Oslo, Amsterdam, Copenhagen, Brussels, and Ljubljana stand out as frontrunners in this initiative.
Vehicle manufacturing emissions ‘the next frontier’ according to T&E
Electric vehicles aren’t the ultimate solution for Europe’s widespread issue.
transport problem
, however.
Firstly, their manufacturing process remains quite pollutant. Given that approximately 10 million new cars are sold annually, the production of electric vehicles (not including batteries) contributes roughly 50 megatons of CO2 emissions each year.
According to T&E, batteries, aluminum, and steel are the key areas for reducing emissions, with a push for increased utilization of eco-friendly and recycled steel.
Aircraft emissions are sabotaging attempts to make transportation more eco-friendly.
Even with advancements on European Union roads, the researchers caution that rising air pollution is offsetting attempts to reduce transportation emissions.
Europe’s
airlines
It emitted 143 million tons of CO₂ last year, an increase of almost 10 percent from 2023.
The emissions from Europe’s maritime activities stay notably high at 195 million tonnes of CO2 equivalent, according to the report, since these sectors greatly depend on fossil fuels.
However, since shipping has been incorporated into the EU’s carbon trading system (
ETS
Combined, both sectors will reportedly generate €5 billion in revenue in 2024, as estimated by T&E.
This indicates that these funds can help cover the cost difference between green e-fuels and conventional fossil fuels—a crucial advancement from both perspectives of climate action and energy security.
“Todts mentions that Europe is gradually freeing itself from its reliance on oil, yet we continue to spend hundreds of billions on imports from foreign nations,” he states.
Imports of fossil fuels continue to be the primary energy supply for transportation, with 96 percent of Europe’s crude oil and 90 percent of its natural gas being sourced internationally as of 2023. These often come from authoritarian governments and at significant cost.