10 years after carmakers were caught cheating, the next Dieselgate scandal will be legal. Are PHEVs the new defeat device? 🧵⤵️

Today T&E joined @vonderleyen.ec.europa.eu for a dialogue on the future of the EU auto industry. While the industry is pushing to open up the CO2 standards, the EU's top priority must be to keep a clear investment signal. Read the debrief from our Executive Director 👉 bit.ly/4nztWRX

“𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗲𝗹𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗿𝗶𝗰 𝗰𝗮𝗿 𝗶𝘀 𝘀𝗶𝗺𝗽𝗹𝘆 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗯𝗲𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝘁𝗲𝗰𝗵𝗻𝗼𝗹𝗼𝗴𝘆” - 𝗔𝘂𝗱𝗶 𝗖𝗘𝗢 As EU Commission President Von der Leyen debates the future of the 2035 cars CO2 Regulation with auto execs, Audi CEO Gernot Döllner criticised industry efforts to undermine the auto sector's transition to electric. bit.ly/42q7Bhe

As the car industry prepares to meet with @vonderleyen.ec.europa.eu tomorrow, new data shows that plug-in hybrids emit far more than their official ratings indicate. PHEVs should not qualify as low-emission in order to reach EU climate targets, despite automaker lobbying efforts.

The EU is weak on passenger rights for rail travel, and it is directly impacting European’s pocketbooks 🎫💸 Europe needs urgent reform of the ticketing for its rail network if it hopes to make trains a reliable means of transport. 🧵

The future of cars is electric and Europe should be a part of it, says Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen in her State of the Union address. 🧵⤵️

NEW: Plug-in hybrids now emit five times, on average, what official tests claim, and the gap between real-world emissions and test results continues to grow. 🧵

Mercedes-Benz, the head of the EU auto lobby, is the loudest critic of EU emissions targets while being the only one that wouldn’t reach them on their own. All other EU carmakers are on track, but there is still pressure to weaken the targets, which would see Europe fall behind on electrification.

The world is going electric, with or without us⚡️ EV sales are booming worldwide, from China to emerging markets like Vietnam and even here in Europe. But the car lobby is doing everything they can to weaken EU emission targets so they can continue to sell gas guzzlers. Learn more 👉 bit.ly/4lZDiVK

European carmakers are finally showing that they can also produce world-class EVs.  So why are they lobbying like crazy to slow down Europe’s transition to EVs and weaken the laws that underpin the transition? bit.ly/3HXKvI1

NEW: European carmakers sold 38% more electric cars in the first seven months of the year, ensuring that all but Mercedes-Benz are on track to comply with the EU’s 2025-37 emission targets. So why is the car industry launching an all-out attack on the EU’s car CO2 targets? 🧵⤵️

NEW: Volvo is leading the way on green chassis by focusing on cleaner steel made from renewable energy, surpassing its European competitors. 🧵

SUVs have gone from just 3% of cars in the UK to a whopping 30% in just two decades. We must reverse this "carspreading" trend to tackle the growing safety and pollution threat. That's why @cleancitiescampaign.org is calling for Paris-style parking charges in major UK cities 👇

While steel is easy to recycle, only a tiny portion of the steel in cars today is from recycling. But MEPs have the opportunity to change that with the upcoming vote on the end-of-life vehicles law. 🧵⤵️

⚖️Are countries legally on the hook for including non-CO2 emissions from aviation in their climate plans? A legal analysis conducted at the request of T&E and @opportunitygreen.org says YES. But not one country has done this so far. 🧵⤵️ bit.ly/4oNflDB

Contrary to clear European Commission assurances, yesterday the US-EU trade pact declared an intent “to accept and provide mutual recognition to each other’s standards” for cars. This follows tariff reductions that will cut RAM pickup prices in Europe by an average of €6,000. 🧵

Across 142 routes in Europe, trains are on average twice as expensive as flights On some routes, they are 26 times the price Low-cost airlines profit from unfair tax exemptions, but trains are burdened with VAT, energy taxes and high track fees Governments and the EU must stop rewarding polluters

Carmakers are putting the EU auto industry at risk by lobbying against the EV transition. A report from @delorsberlin.bsky.social shows that not only will the pushback against the 2035 target not save the industry, but these efforts are putting Europe at a global disadvantage. 🧵⤵️ bit.ly/45ql0rM

🤔What are those white lines in the sky? Contrails from the condensation of water vapour from a plane warm the planet at least as much as the CO2 emitted by the aircraft Check out our explainer about contrails and how rerouting flights to avoid them would be an easy climate win. 👇 bit.ly/41VidDX

A record number of electric cars were registered in western Europe this spring thanks to more affordable models entering the market. But sales of Chinese-made EVs are also on the rise. It is crucial that EU carmakers focus on staying competitive, not weakening the car CO2 targets. bit.ly/470UYwv

What happens to ticket prices when a new competitor enters onto the scene of a well-established route? 🎫💸 Italian researchers Milan explored this question by analysing the impact on rail ticket prices after Italo introduced services to compete with Trenitalia between Turin and Venice in 2018. 🧵⤵️

Today @lemonde.fr says what T&E has been arguing for years: the EU 2035 zero-emission cars target must stay if European carmakers are to compete with their Chinese rivals. 🧵⤵️ bit.ly/4motsNP @vonderleyen.ec.europa.eu @wopkehoekstra.ec.europa.eu

Europe’s rail network is improving, if you know where to look. There is still work to be done to make train travel accessible to all, but sometimes progress comes from a collection of small wins. We’re looking at 3 small changes that will have an immediate impact on how Europeans travel by train 🧵

Europe’s rail network is improving, if you know where to look. There is still work to be done to make train travel accessible to all, but sometimes progress comes from a collection of small wins. We’re looking at 3 small changes that will have an immediate impact on how Europeans travel by train 🧵

The European Investment Bank (EIB) has just approved a €500 million loan for Eni's new biorefinery in Livorno. For the self-declared ‘EU climate bank’ this is a very questionable use of public money. 🧵⤵️

The EU fleets law is the demand instrument that carmakers have been asking for. Why are they focused on tearing it down rather than pushing for tax reforms to support it? 🧵

ETS2, a new carbon price on fossil fuels, is coming in 2027. It is expected to raise €300 bn, which can be spent making more green alternatives more affordable. But as it will make petrol more expensive, European govs need to put in place strategies to support everyday Europeans in the transition.

Because they spend more time at berth, cruise ships produce more than 6x more port-side emissions than container ships. Ports have the opportunity to tackle this by offering ships access to shore-side electricity. But our latest study shows that not nearly enough are doing so 👉 bit.ly/3GGNCmZ

Over 6% of the EU maritime CO2 emissions come from ships running on fossil fuels at port. Idling ships also emit high amounts of SOx, NOx and particulate matter, which are dangerous to human health. But ports are not adopting shore-side electricity technology for ships fast enough.

🚗⚡️The upcoming law on corporate fleet electrification is a key demand measure, exactly as automakers have asked for. Now it has to put the responsibility where it lies: on companies owning large car fleets and on large cargo owners. 🧵⤵️

Europe’s auto sector contributes billions of euros to the EU economy. Our research shows that it could return to producing 16.8 mn cars a year – numbers not seen since before the 2008 crisis. But the EU needs strong industrial and demand policies to make this happen. Learn more 👇 bit.ly/4kqNtls

Europeans living in port cities are choking under the pollution from cruise ships and other large vessels. Shore-side electricity offers a solution. Learn more about this technology 👉 bit.ly/3GGNCmZ

The European Commission has published its post-2027 EU budget proposal. The proposal fails to leverage transport decarbonisation to boost industrial competitiveness, as the resources allocated to scale up cleantech are inadequate. See our analysis 👉 bit.ly/3Iv5ZMi

With the US abandoning the Paris Agreement, the EU's centre-right led 2040 climate target proposal is a big deal. But it can't be realised through climate policy alone. The EU’s strategy must encompass energy security, defence, economic security, investment and industrial strategy. bit.ly/4eOWXFU

The targets are working! EV sales surged in Europe in the first half of this year as carmakers rolled out more affordable models to meet EU and UK regulatory standards. A breakdown by market ⤵️

NEW: Europe’s ports are failing to tackle air pollution. Just four of Europe’s 30 biggest ports have invested at least half of the required shoreside electric infrastructure, which would drastically reduce air pollution and CO2 emissions when ships are at port. 🧵⤵️

The EIB has made some progress in cleaning up its transport loanbook, financing projects to upgrade the rail network or boost battery-making. But the continued lending of taxpayer money to roads and airport expansions is adding fuel to the climate crisis fire. Explore our analysis 👉 bit.ly/44nELjf

The European auto sector can contribute billions of euros to the EU economy in the coming decade. But if the EU weakens the 2035 zero-emissions target for cars and fails to put into place industrial and demand policies to support it, that future could vanish. Our report 👉 bit.ly/4kqNtls

This morning, together with our partners in the Green 10, we met with Commission President @vonderleyen.ec.europa.eu to deliver a united message from civil society: we have no time to lose! 🧵

Bologna Airport received €90 mn to expand from the European Investment Bank. How does Europe expect to cut aviation emissions while financing aggressive passenger traffic growth? The EIB must stop financing airport expansion and invest in the green transition now. Our report 👇

NEW: Seven rail megaprojects get more EU funds than 84 key upgrades that would bring rapid and widespread benefits to European rail. Here’s how the EU’s funding for rail is holding back progress🧵⤵️

NEW: The European Investment Bank (EIB) lent €7 billion to dirty transport projects between 2021 and 2024 – including new roads and airport expansions – despite declaring itself a ‘climate bank’. These loans undermine the EIB’s environmental and climate goals adopted in 2021. 🧵⤵️ bit.ly/44nELjf

Going back on the 2035 car CO2 target could mean a loss of two-thirds of Europe’s planned battery investments. Meanwhile, the charging industry would be deprived of €120 bn in prospective revenue over the next 10 years. More on how the auto sector can contribute to the EU economy 👇

✈️⛽️The availability and affordability of e-SAF for European aviation in the future is at a critical juncture. Today T&E joins 20 airlines, e-SAF producers and NGOs in highlighting the strategic role e-SAF can play in boosting the European clean tech industry. Read the letter 👉 bit.ly/4ksNDZA

NEW: The EU’s car production can return to its post-2008 crisis peak… but only if the EU maintains its 2035 clean car target and strengthens industrial and demand policies. With these measures, the auto value chain could increase its contribution to the economy by 11% by 2035. 🧵⤵️

NEW: The EU’s car production can return to its post-2008 crisis peak… but only if the EU maintains its 2035 clean car target and strengthens industrial and demand policies. With these measures, the auto value chain could increase its contribution to the economy by 11% by 2035. 🧵⤵️

⚽ #WomensEURO2025 kicks off tonight! Teams like the Netherlands, Belgium & France are avoiding flights within Switzerland to cut emissions. Others can still choose trains or coaches to reduce their carbon footprint. 🌍 Curious how much CO₂ could be saved? 👉 bit.ly/4evJWkx @travelsmart.bsky.social

Leasing giants such as Ayvens of Société Générale and Arval of @group.bnpparibas are delaying the electrification of the automotive sector, even though they account for the majority of new vehicle registrations in France and Europe. Let's unpack this 🧵⤵️

Flying business class and #privatejet is a luxury… and it’s currently hugely undertaxed. That could be about to change. Yesterday a coalition of countries pledged to tax premium flyers to redirect revenues to fund climate action. Will COP 30 manage to turn this into a real proposal? bit.ly/4kfiglf

Rail signalling standardisation has stalled in Europe. In many countries, the roll-out of ETCS has barely started, despite this restricting cross-border services & hindering improvements in safety and reliability. This must be a priority in the upcoming EU rail plans. Our report 👉 bit.ly/4lmED9i