The energy crisis offers Europe two levers to accelerate transition to zero-emission road transport

The energy crisis offers Europe two levers to accelerate transition to zero-emission road transport

ACEA — 2026-05-05

News from Brussels

 The current instability in the Middle East and the volatility in global energy markets strengthen the case for accelerating the move away from fossil fuels in road transport. It also reinforces the need for a technology neutral policy framework that makes zero emission road transport the most attractive and economically viable option for consumers and businesses.

Sigrid de Vries, ACEA Director General: “A technology-neutral decarbonisation strategy that embraces electrification and includes renewable fuels is essential. It is key to safeguarding Europe’s resilience, protecting consumers from price and supply shocks, and delivering a successful transition to climate‑neutral mobility.”

In particular, the current crisis highlights the need for concrete policy action in two areas.

First, policymakers must send a clear signal that electricity should become the most affordable source of energy, and back this up with real action. This requires lowering the cost of electricity used to charge vehicles. The EU Energy Taxation Directive and national energy taxes and levies should reflect this. Maintaining affordable and predictable electricity prices is key to driving citizens and businesses towards choosing zero-emission transport.

Second, this crisis highlights the need to incentivise renewable fuels. Many announced short-term measures to lower fuel prices do not distinguish between fuels based on their carbon content. Instead, these measures could combine consumer relief with CO2 savings: the higher the share of renewable fuels in the mix, the stronger the price relief at the pump should be.

The current oil crisis is beginning to influence parts of the vehicle market. In some countries, demand for second-hand battery-electric vehicles (BEVs) has increased in response to rising fuel prices. However, it is still too early to say with a high degree of certainty that the oil crisis has led to increased registrations of new battery-electric vehicles. Recent new BEV market growth largely reflects national tax benefits and incentive schemes introduced before the crisis. The latest quarterly new vehicle registration data can be found here.

Europe’s vehicle manufacturers are fully committed to decarbonisation. ACEA member companies already offer more than 250 electrified car and 50 van models, as well as 50 zero‑emission truck and 25 bus models.