2025 will be a pivotal year for the decarbonisation of cars in Europe. More than 2 million battery electric cars could be sold – including many new, more affordable models – if the EU CO2 targets are not weakened.
Cars are the biggest transport polluter at 450 MtCO₂e, 13% of EU total emissions. Battery electric cars are already three times cleaner than petrol cars and will only improve as the electricity that powers them becomes greener. While the last two decades have seen weak emissions targets and the Dieselgate scandal, 2025 could be the year that marks the pivot point to widescale electric vehicle adoption.
As tailpipe emissions reduce to zero, the environmental impact of producing cars is increasingly under the spotlight. Battery and vehicle production have never been more important.
Sources
For the 3 numbers on top of the page: T&E projection based on EAFO 2024 fleet data, and T&E modelling of the 2025 BEV sales potential; EAFO and UNFCCC