EU repordedly plans 100% EV quota for fleets by 2030

If the EU Commission has its way, rental car providers and company fleets will allegedly only be allowed to purchase electric vehicles starting in 2030. According to a German media report, such a requirement is indeed on the table. However, the decision is not final – and resistance is already mounting.

The German Bild am Sonntag reported on the plans to impose a 100 per cent EV quota for rental car providers and company fleets for new acquisitions from 2030. According to the report, the EU Commission wants to present the proposal in late summer, kicking off the parliamentary process.

The topic itself is not entirely new: in March, the Commission announced draft legislation to increase the share of electric cars in company fleets as part of its measures to support the European automotive industry. At the beginning of this month, affected companies had already indicated that a quota of 75 per cent by 2027 and 100 per cent by 2030 was under discussion.

As with initial reports in early July, the EU has confirmed that Brussels is working on new regulations, but it has not provided details on the current state of discussions, meaning there is no official comment on the alleged 100 per cent figure. And even if the EU Commission proposes it, it is far from certain that the regulation would come into force. Both the EU Council (representing the member states) and the EU Parliament would need to approve it first.

What is clear is that such a regulation would affect a large part of the new car market – around 60 per cent of all new cars in the EU are registered to corporate owners and rental providers, while around 40 per cent are private customers.

The new regulation has not even been officially presented, but resistance within the industry is already growing. The German newspaper cites a letter from German MEP Markus Ferber (CSU) to EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen (CDU). According to the letter, Ferber calls for the plans to be dropped. He supposedly argues that electric cars would be purchased merely to meet quotas.

Earlier this month, when the first reports emerged, Richard Knubben, Director General of Leaseurope (the European umbrella organisation of national leasing associations), warned that the otherwise for 2035-announced regulation was brought forward through the backdoor. Knubben fears – likely with an eye on his members’ interests – that “decisions here are being made out of conviction rather than based on facts”. Sixt board member Nico Gabriel also spoke out: “Electric quotas for fleet operators are completely unsuitable as they do not address the root cause of the problem.” Gabriel sees that root cause in the slow rollout of fast-charging infrastructure.

bild.de (paywall; in German) via spiegel.de (in German), automobilwoche.de (report published in June with quotes by Knubben and Gabriel; in German)