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New registrations of electric vans in Europe
During the last decade, the share of electric vans in total new van registrations in the European Union Member States increased steadily, reaching 7.8% in 2023. This upward trend contributed to the reduction in the average CO 2 emissions of the new van fleet. In 2024 the market share of electric vans slightly declined to 5.9%. Pure electric vans accounted for nearly all electric van registrations during this period. The share of plug-in hybrid vans remained negligible, just below 0.3% in 2024, meaning that electrification of the van fleet is solely driven by battery electric vehicles (BEVs).
Use of renewable energy for transport in Europe
The share of energy from renewable sources used for road and rail transport in the European Union increased from less than 2% in 2005 to 11.3% in 2024, according to preliminary EEA data. These sources include biofuels, renewable electricity, or hydrogen and synthetic fuels of renewable origin. The share of energy from renewable sources used for transport varies greatly among the EU Member States, ranging from below 4% in Greece and Croatia, up to 34.9% in Sweden.
New registrations of electric cars in Europe
The amount of new electric cars registered in the European Union has grown significantly in the last decade, particularly between 2019 and 2023, with a small decline in 2024. Battery electric vehicles (BEVs) and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) have become a major part of the new car market, playing a key role in driving down average CO 2 emissions from passenger cars. In 2024, over 1.4 million new BEV were registered in the EU, accounting for 13.6% of new car registrations. Some 800,000 new PHEV were registered (7.3% of new car fleet), implying around 2.2 million new electric cars were added to the market, up from around 400 000 in 2019.
CO2 emissions performance of new vans in Europe
Average CO 2 emissions from new vans registered in Europe have fallen steadily in recent years, resulting in an 11% reduction between 2019 and 2023. The main driver of this decrease in emissions is the increase in electric vehicle registrations, which reached 8.2% of the European Union’s new vans fleet in 2023. Almost all vans manufacturers met their binding targets in 2023.
Greenhouse gas emissions from transport in Europe
The transport sector is the largest source of greenhouse gas emissions in the European Union and has shown little progress in emission reduction in recent decades. Despite efforts such as increasing the deployment of electric vehicles and promoting low-carbon fuels, transport emissions have only declined slightly since 2005, with a temporary reduction in 2020 due to COVID-19. Estimates of 2024 indicate a small increase in GHG emissions from transport of 0.7%, compared with 2023 levels. Member States project that domestic transport emissions will meet 1990 levels in 2030. International aviation and maritime emissions are projected to increase further.
Share of buses and trains in inland passenger transport in Europe
Promoting sustainable transport modes like public transport can reduce greenhouse gas emissions and other environmental pressures such as air pollution and noise. The EU Sustainable and Smart Mobility Strategy underlines the importance of public passenger transport in greater transport sustainability. The share of buses and trains in total passenger transport has changed very little since 2005, with some fluctuation due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Shifting more people to public transport still requires decisive action and a break from long-standing habits.
Exposure of Europe’s population to environmental noise
Environmental noise remains a significant problem in Europe. Over 20% of the population live in areas where transport noise levels are harmful to health when measured against thresholds established in the Environmental Noise Directive. Applying the stricter WHO recommendations increases this figure to over 30%. Road traffic is the main source of noise pollution in both urban and rural settings. A key commitment of the European Commission’s zero pollution ambition is to reduce the share of people chronically disturbed by transport noise by 30% by 2030, compared with 2017.
Emissions of air pollutants from transport in Europe
With the introduction of policy measures in recent decades, the emissions of most air pollutants from transport in the EU-27 have decreased. Reductions in the road transport sector account for the greatest progress. However, the largest increases came from international aviation and navigation, with emissions of nitrogen oxides, sulphur oxides, particulate matter, ammonia and nitrous oxide rising in aviation, and methane emissions increasing in navigation. Most pollutants have rebounded since 2020, when they fell together with transport volumes during the COVID-19 pandemic.