Carbon dioxide accounts for 64% of man-made global warming, being the most produced greenhouse gas by human activity. Thus, electric and alternative fuel vehicles represent key players in the quest to diversify road transport energy sources and have the potential to help the European Union achieve its CO2 emissions reduction.

Several actions have been developed at EU level to encourage the uptake of electrical vehicles, including the ‘European Strategy on Clean and Energy Efficient Vehicles’ and the ‘European Green Vehicles Initiative’. The Strategy sets out to offer a comprehensive policy framework for ‘green’ means of transportation while the EGVI represents a contractual public-private partnership endorsing research and innovation regarding green technologies for cars and other mobility systems used for road transport.

The EGVI was established as a continuation of the European Green Cars Initiative (EGCI), a previous scheme introduced in 2008, which funded 113 research and innovation projects. The latest publication (April 2016) of the European Green Vehicles Initiative Association (EGVIA), highlighted the valuable contribution of the EGCI to the field of electrification by boosting the research and development projects on new technologies and inducing employment.

However, some barriers still need to be overcome in order to enhance the European electric vehicle market. These include factors such as battery performance and costs, accessibility of recharging points and overall infrastructure efficiency as well as consumer’s view and acceptance of the new vehicle types and its compatibility with the users’ driving habits.

Tackling these challenges and introducing cleaner, environmentally friendlier and more energy efficient vehicles represents a step towards sustainable growth, given that battery and alternative fuel cars could improve mobility across cities and reduce traffic congestion. Innovating and developing alternative fuels will also create high-skilled employment opportunities and maintain competitiveness, thus, making the European economy more resource efficient.

This international symposium will examine the latest developments regarding electric vehicles at EU level. It will also analyse the importance of investing in electric and alternative vehicles for economic growth and job creation. Furthermore, the symposium will explore the benefits of using an electric vehicle, from an environmental point of view and evaluate new solutions toward improving electric mobility.