EU Coalition Backs Clean Vehicles Rule, Demands Stronger ZEV Targets
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- European businesses, major cities, and civil society issued a joint position paper expressing strong support for the EU Clean Corporate Vehicles Regulation, praising the Commission's choice of binding Member State targets over one-size-fits-all company-level mandates.
- The signatories argued the current draft target of 45% zero-emission vehicles (ZEVs) by 2030 falls short, noting it is even lower than the Commission's own assessed 'low ambition' scenario of 65% ZEV.
- The position paper called for excluding plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) and other low-emission vehicles from the regulation's scope, citing real-world data showing they emit significantly more than advertised and are the more expensive technology for companies and second-hand buyers.
- The coalition urged strengthening the monitoring and reporting framework, including Member State assessments of incorporating all corporate fleets — such as taxis and ride-hailing services — into their national plans with tailored measures.
- The signatories also called on the Commission to propose binding targets for Heavy-Duty Vehicle (HDV) fleets by 2027, in parallel with the Revision of CO2 emission standards for Heavy-Duty Vehicles, arguing excluding HDV fleets ignores industry demand-side calls.
Why it matters: The coalition's push to raise the 2030 ZEV target from 45% to at least 65% — and to bar PHEVs from counting toward compliance — would accelerate fleet electrification timelines across the EU's largest corporate buyers while reshaping the demand signal European carmakers need to hit their own 2030 CO2 targets.
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