The European Commission’s “Fit for 55,” regulatory proposals are intended to secure a European Union (EU) economy-wide greenhouse gas (GHG) reduction of at least 55% by 2030. One of the regulatory proposals adopted by the EC is to amend the mandatory CO2 emission targets for new passenger cars and light commercial vehicles (vans).

If the global transportation sector is to align with efforts supporting the best chance of achieving the Paris Agreement’s goal of limiting global warming to below 2 °C, the greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from road transport in 2050 need to be dramatically lower than today’s levels.

This paper reviews recent developments in the European passenger car market and assesses the implications for the proposed post-2021 CO2 emissions targets.

This analysis estimates the number of charging points and hydrogen refueling stations needed to enable the transition to 100 percent sales of zero-emission Class 7 and Class 8 tractor-trailers by 2040 in the United States.

The electric vehicle market in the United States has grown from a few thousand vehicles in 2010 to more than 315,000 vehicles sold annually from 2018 to 2020. In 2020, the electric share of new vehicle sales was approximately 2.4%, an increase from about 2% in 2019.

Market analyses by vehicle segment, weight category, manufacturer, and engine size are needed to optimize vehicle emission standards and testing requirements. In India, these are largely adopted from Euro standards to fit the Indian landscape, and that was the case with the Bharat Stage (BS) VI regulations that took effect April 1, 2020.

The central government and several state governments in India have implemented consumer financial incentives that reduce the total cost of ownership gap between electric and conventional gasoline and diesel cars used as ride-hailing vehicles.

An upcoming review of the heavy-duty CO2 emissions standards in the European Union will consider several adjustments to the regulation, including the possibility of extending the CO2 emissions reduction targets to other vehicle segments, as well as setting specific targets for trailers.

The European Commission recently released a number of policy proposals in its “Fit for 55” package, aimed at achieving the European Union’s goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 55% in 2030 compared to 1990 levels. This policy update focuses on the elements of this package related to the promotion of alternative fuels.

This briefing provides policy recommendations to assist European Council and Parliament as they negotiate the final legislation for the Fit for 55 package. The recommendations follow the findings in a previous ICCT paper regarding how changes to the policy proposals can achieve greater greenhouse gas (GHG) savings at a lower cost.