A coalition of 27 companies, including Volvo and Ford Europe, is pushing for ambitious European clean mobility goals. The group argues that all cars and vans sold in the European Union should be electric as soon as possible, with a mandatory transition by 2035 and robust charging infrastructure commitments to support it. The plan emphasizes that strong regulatory steps are essential to accelerate adoption and ensure a reliable, fast, and accessible charging network across the continent.
The move to 2035, a shift that lowers the previously discussed 2040 target for ending combustion engines, has gained formal backing from EU institutions. The Environment Committee of the European Parliament has signaled it will seek approval from the Parliament and EU governments by June. The coalition contends that achieving zero-emission mobility from 2050 onward requires a unified approach, and it highlights that roughly a third of Europe’s oil imports are used to fuel road transport, underscoring energy security as a core incentive.
Advocates argue that this path must be accompanied by enforceable rules for charging infrastructure. Automakers and other industries need clear targets, while customers must gain trust in electric mobility. Anfac, the Spanish auto industry association, has urged that without concrete regulations, the market cannot build confidence. They also say additional public measures will be necessary to lay the groundwork for the horizon, including ambitious yet binding goals to deploy charging points widely and reliably.
In this context, Ford of Europe CEO Stuart Rowley has urged policymakers to set mandatory charging targets that ensure a resilient network. Volvo’s leadership, including CEO Jim Rowan, has warned that the window to curb the worst impacts of climate change is narrowing and that Europe must act now to demonstrate climate leadership. Signatories to the initiative include industry players and allies such as Allego, Arrival, Ball, EVBox, FastNed, Green Way, Grundfos, Iberdrola, Li-Cycle, Novo Nordisk, Sanofi, SAP Laboratories in France, Solar Group, Tesco, Uber, Unilever, Vattenfall, Vulcan, and Zurich, among others. Citations: industry associations and participating companies [cite: European Industry Coalition communications].
Chargers scarce and poorly distributed in Europe
Data from European sources show a charger gap across the region. The European Alternative Fuels Observatory reports hundreds of thousands of charging points, while consultancy firms note that the density of chargers remains uneven. The region currently has about one charger for every several vehicles, with distribution concentrated in a few countries. A central push is to move toward a targeted phase-out of internal combustion cars by 2030 in several markets, aligning with broader electrification goals. Forecasts by energy sector researchers indicate the region will need millions of new chargers in coming years—by some estimates, tens of millions more, with a large share intended for homes, workplaces, and parking facilities, plus a substantial number in public locations.
Spain, for example, shows a notable mismatch between charger availability and demand. By the end of 2021, Anfac reported thousands of general charging devices, but only a minority offered higher power levels suitable for long trips. Most available chargers are slower, with many taking hours to deliver meaningful charges. Industry groups have stressed that growth has not kept pace with market demand, underscoring the necessity for faster, higher-capacity chargers to support ambitious driving ranges and a more seamless user experience. In total, thousands of charging points were recorded in 2021, yet the pace of expansion fell short of what the market required to keep up with growth, according to industry analyses [cite: Anfac market data].