A Path to Creating a Sustainable, Smart and Resilient Mobility System

The European Commission presented on 9 December 2020 its  Sustainable and Smart Mobility Strategy and the related Action Plan.

Green and digital transitions will drastically reshape the mobility sector. The Commission is putting forward a comprehensive set of measures to put the European Union on the path to creating a sustainable, smart and resilient mobility system.

EASE fully supports the European Commission and believes that greater efforts are needed to deliver the contribution of the transport sector to the 2030 Climate Target Plan and to the European Green Deal. In this sense, energy storage solutions can efficiently support achieving the EU’s targets and a systemic change for the transport sector.

EASE and the Commission’s positions are aligned: the decarbonisation of the transport sector can only be successful in close collaboration with the energy sector and its work on smart electric grids, batteries and production of alternative fuels – hydrogen, biofuels, and synthetic fuels. For all these points, energy storage solutions are key as recognised by the EU Energy System Integration Strategy.

Similarly, EASE also recognises that, if not managed in a smart way, there is a risk that the rapidly increasing fleet of electric vehicles may lead to congestion in the electricity grid. These risks and the related solutions are not fully addressed in the strategy.

For example, the different services that electric vehicles may provide to the electricity systems should be further highlighted. Vehicle-to-grid services, in particular, are key to manage electricity loads across infrastructure assets and time. But they are currently hampered by a.o. energy tariffs and pricing structures, lack of full access to the electricity market, and lack of charging standards/protocols. Some of these topics are mentioned in the Sustainable and Smart Mobility Strategy and Action Plan in different contexts, but not always comprehensively addressed.

Besides, although the need for a recharging/refuelling infrastructure is thoroughly highlighted in the Strategy, the support that energy storage can provide is not aptly investigated. Energy storage systems can charge electricity from the grid at times of low demand and discharge at times of high demand. Such systems increase renewables penetration levels in the transport sector, with minimised curtailment and at optimised system cost. An example: high power fast charging station with battery storage and PV generation. Again, a.o. an evolution of fiscal rules and energy taxes is needed to facilitate the uptake of these solutions and improve access to energy and ancillary markets.

Finally, the Sustainable and Smart Mobility Strategy and the Action Plan are a significant step forward. EASE believes that the foreseen legislative and policy actions can support the greening of the transport sector. Nonetheless, energy storage solutions should be more unreservedly considered to achieve a green, cost-efficient transformation of the mobility and energy system – as already done by the European Commission in the EU Energy System Integration Strategy.