Auto industry outlines R&D priorities for EU Green Car Initiative

The European automotive industry has submitted clear and concise R&D priorities to the European Commission to shape the European Green Car Initiative, announced by the EU.

The Green Car Initiative, a part of the European economic recovery plan, aims to allocate EUR 5 billion through a Public Private Partnership to bolster innovation in the automotive sector and sustain its focus on environmental progress. The initiative complements the European Clean Transport Facility which, through the European Investment Bank, serves to provide more immediate financial relief to the sector.

The Green Car Initiative concentrates on long-term R&D, largely combining existing projects under a clear policy focus and underlining the importance of a joint approach between industries and policy makers. The European automotive manufacturers and suppliers play a key role in research, development and innovation of products and services to evolve towards greener vehicles and transport systems. They are determined to extend their substantial track record of R&D achievements, through progress in:

Mobility & Transport (deploying information and communication technologies (ICT) and Intelligent Transport Systems (ITS) for traffic and transport management, involving vehicles as well as route planning)

Energy & Environment (exploring primary energy sources which are renewable, secure, sufficient and environmentally compatible; the electrification of vehicles and the road transport system as a whole; lightweight structures and new vehicle concepts for high energy-efficiency)

Safety (ensuring safety of new vehicle concepts and types; development of cooperative systems for efficiency and safety based on communication between vehicles and infrastructure)

Affordability & Competitiveness (achieving green objectives at an affordable level, taking into account the availability and use of raw and rare materials; (energy-) efficiency of production processes; handling of alternative materials; use of virtual tools)

All of these areas are equally important and none of them can be considered independent from the others.

Automotive manufacturers and suppliers call on the EU to adopt these priorities and implement them as soon as possible. It is, in particular, important that the Commission ensures that further work on vehicle technologies is done in parallel to and in close cooperation with the development of a compatible infrastructure for energy sources and future fuels, as part of a comprehensive mobility strategy.

The automotive sector has been particularly hard hit by the current financial and economic crisis as vehicle demand has slumped and access to finance is severely limited. EU and national government support is essential to help the sector bridge the extraordinary economic downturn and sustain investments in R&D.

The automotive industry is the backbone of the manufacturing industries in Europe and directly and indirectly supports the jobs of over 12 million employees.