Comments and recommendations on draft report of rapporteur Carlo Fidanza on the proposal for a Directive on the deployment of alternative fuels infrastructure

The European engineering industries support the promotion of a sustainable range of transport solutions and the build-up of interoperable, alternative fuels infrastructure in Europe as a means to stimulate growth, jobs and technology take up. As producers of the equipment that represent the essential link between the electric vehicle and the electric grid, we show a specific interest in the Directive’s provisions concerning electric vehicle infrastructure. Our comments therefore focus on the electrification of means of transport, and particularly on the wide deployment of electric vehicles as main source of energy savings and mitigation of environmental impact.
Orgalime believes that the draft report of Mr Fidanza makes every effort to take into account the complexity of infrastructure deployment in practice and is built on several positions, which we fully support, namely:

• To improve the diversification and security of Europe’s energy supply.
• To set a stable policy framework with binding targets to stimulate investment in the deployment of relevant infrastructures by 2020. Incentives and public support will have an essential initial role to play.
• To adopt a strategic approach for the deployment of alternative fuels in all transport modes and build technical specifications based on market needs, realities, technology neutrality and with the involvement of European standardisation to keep standards up to date to technological processes, sound engineering practice and safety requirements.
• To provide interoperable, smart and inclusive solutions for electric vehicle recharging that preserve the high level of safety achieved by the EU’s existing regulatory framework derived from the Low Voltage and EMC Directives and ensure consistency with member states´ existing national wiring regulations.
• To strengthen the national policy frameworks for the deployment of alternative fuels and their infrastructure with ambitious targets by 2020 and comprehensive national policy frameworks, and mid-term assessments.
• To recognise the key role played by both, regional and local authorities, and including the engagement of the industries concerned in the effective deployment of alternative fuels infrastructure.
• To establish EU framework conditions and rules that provide for fair competition.
• To enhance consumer information on alternative fuels.
• To enable member states to earmark financial resources to the deployment of alternative fuels infrastructure from EU Structural Funds.