The European Commission unveiled an ambitious project last January: a comprehensive strategy for clean fuels. This is a large scale project, so it’s a lengthy process to turn it into law, but work is underway with the latest step being a draft report from the European parliament (rapporteur is Carlo Fidanza). As before, the project mixes all alternative fuels, from natural gas to hydrogen, via biofuels and electricity. This article will look at each fuel one after another, presenting the European proposals first, before adding our comments.
LPG
The European’s plan
Initially, the European Commission wasn’t planing anything for LPG but the Parliament noted that besides oil, LPG can also be produced from natural gas. There’s also an issue in the very uneven development of LPG. Some European countries have a large LPG infrastructure while some others don’t have any. To allow Union-wide mobility for motorists who have chosen this fuel, the project calls for a denser network of LPG stations, so that nowhere in the Union a driver shall be more 150 km away from a LPG station. Then in urban areas, there shall be one LPG station for 150,000 inhabitants.
MotorNature’s comments
LPG from natural gas is okay, but that calls for a complete evaluation of the production phase. Why bother producing LPG from natural gas since it’s possible to make a car run on natural gas without any fuel transformation? European harmonization then is a nice idea, but why should it be in the LPG’s favor instead of against it? Now that several models are already respecting the future Euro6 emissions regulation, which is very strict, there’s nothing left to LPG. It doesn’t make cars run any cleaner, and many people had thought that fuel would just die. Money would be better spent on the development of non fossil fuels.
Biofuels
The European’s plan
Biofuels are currently the most successful alternative fuel in Europe, with a 4.4% market share. Europe will put increased pressure to make sure biofuels are really green, from plants grown in a sustainable way, and without indirect land use changes. The report also states that advanced biofuels is the only option for aviation, so it calls for the development of new production facilities.
MotorNature’s comments
Scandinavia remains the best example for sustainable biofuels (from wood), but everybody shall understand that European countries are not equal regarding biofuels. Some countries have a good potential, while some others don’t have any.
Hydrogen
The European’s plan
The main idea is that all parties involved must work together in close collaboration, and a huge novelty are targets for a network of hydrogen stations. There should be at least one hydrogen station for 250,000 inhabitants in urban areas, and nowhere in the European Union, a driver shall be more than 300 km away from a station. These objectives are for 2020, but countries who do not have any hydrogen infrastructure will get ten more years to comply.
MotorNature’s comments
At last, the hydrogen economy is getting real! Though it should grow much larger than planed. Hydrogen is the cleanest fuel and it can made from renewables. How come Europe’s proposal doesn’t plan to make it larger than LPG?
Natural gas
The European’s plan
Like hydrogen, the rapporteur stresses the need for close collaboration between all actors. He then adds a new idea: the development of dual-fuel vehicles vehicles. There should be no confusion with bivalent vehicles. A dual fuel is, by example, a truck which runs on a mix of diesel gas and CNG. Natural gas is the fastest growing alternative fuel in Europe by far, and plans should be ambitious. 2020 objectives are a CNG station for 100,000 inhabitants in urban areas, and no point in the European Union shall be more than 100 km for a natural gas station. Countries which are already at that level may fix higher objectives.
MotorNature’s comments
It’s a missed opportunity that there’s no plan to set apart the natural gas which comes from fossil sources from the one coming from renewable sources such as landfills. Quantities of renewable natural gas are still low, but they’re getting bigger, and a clear strategy or incentives could make them grow much faster.
Electricity
The European’s plan
The rapporteur urges the need for standardization. The whole of Europe should back the Type 2 (Mennekes) plug, and there should be no new installations of Chademo chargers after 2018. The rapporteur adds the definition of a public charger, as being easy, open and Union-wide interoperable, by means of widely acceptable payment systems.
MotorNature’s comments
The death of Chademo chargers shouldn’t surprise anyone. This standard is losing market share every day. It will probably die by itself without any government intervention, and there are other things that need to be done to achieve much needed full European interoperability and standardization. Schneider Electric in France keeps on lobbying for the Type 3 when everybody else in Europe has chosen the Type 2. This has to stop. Another point where Europe’s action is needed will be in payment. Many actors right now only think local. It’s easy to pay for gasoline everywhere in Europe, and it shouldn’t be any more difficult to pay for electricity. When paying for parking with a credit card is getting commonplace, every charging station can get a card reader as well.