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Proposal EVR - Electric vehicle recharging

Research Proposal · March 2023

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Proposal / project idea

En route recharging for batteries of road vehicles with electric engine

The background

EU negotiators secured an agreement with member states on the Commission’s original proposal to
reach zero-emission road mobility by 2035.1 It is about an EU fleet-wide target to reduce the CO2
emissions produced by new passenger cars and light commercial vehicles by 100% compared to
2021. In order to achieve this, by 2035, all new vans and cars entering the EU market are not allowed
to cause any CO2 emissions during vehicle operation. This means a complete shift towards vehicles
without combustion engines. The intention is to switch to vehicles with electric engines that are to
play the dominant part in the European car fleet.2

The problem

One of the major challenges for the use of electric vehicles is the batteries. There aren´t enough
facilities to re-charge the batteries, and the realistic maximum reach of electric vehicles will hardly be
500 km even if the batteries are fully charged. People planning their long-distance trips with their
own cars e.g. to go on holidays abroad have to make intermediate stops to recharge the batteries.
This involves a careful consideration in trip and route planning (which is already being supported by
ICT), and maybe longer stops on the way to the final destination. Trips will take longer, due to the
stops, an extra cost may be incurred (for B&B etc.).

The idea

The idea is to rely on trains carrying vans and cars on certain longer routes across Europe. Note: Such
trains for the transportation of vehicles already exist. What is new is that the power supply for the
propulsion of trains (i.e. the electricity supplied along the railway network) will also be used to
recharge the batteries of the cars during the journey. The electric power will be transmitted in the
locomotive unit and will be transferred along the wagons of the train. The wagons are fitted with
units to charge the batteries on each of the vehicle slots.

The benefits

Train users won´t have to include extra stops in their trip planning when going with their electric car
e.g. from The Netherlands to Italy. Once they arrive on the train destination, they can continue their
trip to the final destination (the final leg of the whole journey) with a fully-charged battery. This
increases convenience for the users / owners of cars with electric engines. In addition, modal shift
policies are supported, by reducing the amount of transport performance by road.

1
Cf. https://www.europarl.europa.eu/news/en/press-room/20221024IPR45734/deal-confirms-zero-emissions-
target-for-new-cars-and-vans-in-2035. Coreper (preparing the work of the Council of the European Union)
endorsed the agreed text on 16 November 2022, and the ENVI Committee oft he European Parliament
approved it on 1 December 2022.
2
Cf. https://www.europarl.europa.eu/news/de/headlines/economy/20221019STO44572/verkaufsverbot-fur-
neue-benzin-und-dieselfahrzeuge-ab-2035-was-bedeutet-das.