Green transport: a matter of will or necessity?
By Wesley van der Wal
The Arval Mobility Observatory’s annual survey shows that many companies are aware of the need for sustainable transport. And a good thing too, because last week the European Parliament approved a European Commission proposal to ban the sale of cars and delivery vans with an internal combustion engine as from 2035.
Every year, Arval surveys developments and trends in the mobility sector by talking to companies in Europe, in particular. For this year’s survey, Arval talked to more than 7,500 companies, nearly 6,000 of which are in Europe. These are businesses large and small, ranging from construction companies to the hotel and catering industry. One striking finding from the report – which is available for free – is that no less than 59% of all companies surveyed have already implemented sustainable transport or are thinking about doing so. Forty per cent of all companies already have one or more hybrid, plug-in hybrid or fully electric vehicles in their fleet.
‘Fifty-nine per cent of all companies have already implemented sustainable transport or are thinking about doing so’, says Welsey van der Wal, Head of Mobility at BNP Paribas Arval Nederland.
Another important point is that this development is evident not only in large and medium-sized companies but also in smaller businesses. For example, 20% of small businesses already use one or more hybrid vehicles, and 14% have at least one fully electric car in their fleet. Therefore, small and large businesses alike are clearly taking their responsibility for the environment.
And with the big change that’s on the way, they really don’t have much choice. To help reduce worldwide CO2 emissions, the European Commission has banned the production of new cars with a combustion engine as from 2035. That means the end of petrol, LPG and diesel cars. Starting in 2035, only cars running on electricity or hydrogen may be sold.
The year 2035 might still seem far away, but considering all the developments in mobility, it’s wise to start making plans for more sustainable transport today. Nobody wants to lag behind. And everyone wants a cleaner world.
Read Wesley’s other blogs about mobility as well.