Electromobility: Study sees e-mobility 10 years after VW scandal on course

Ten years after the exhaust gas scandal at Volkswagen’s exhaust gas scandal, a new study by the European Auto industry certifies a good way to more electromobility. The manufacturers would only have to reduce their fleet emissions by a few grams of CO2 in order to reach the next EU between 2027, the ICCT organization said. The International Environmental Research Association, together with US environmental authorities, had contributed to the fact that the VW diesel affair in 2015 was flew.

However, delays in the electrification of the transport sector could endanger the competitiveness of European industry, according to the current evaluation, which is published on the occasion of the EU’s EU check for new cars with internal combustion engine from 2035.

Advice on the combustion

The EU decision on the combustion engine stipulates that from 2035 no new cars with petrol or diesel engine may be allowed to lower CO2 emissions in the traffic sector. The EU Commission with the European Auto Industry is currently advising on the challenges of the industry. In Germany, the Union, especially from the Union, but also more of business representatives, has recently been putting pressure to take back the so-called combustion engine.

“Our analysis shows: Electrification in the EU is not only on course, it even takes up more and more speed,” said Peter Mock, Managing Director of ICCT Berlin. The European auto industry has changed profoundly since the VW emissions scandal in 2015. In order to regain trust and reduce emissions, the car manufacturers promised to rely more on electrification.

Study: EU the second largest producer of electric cars worldwide

According to the ICCT organization, the EU is now a net exporter of fully electric vehicles and the world’s second largest producer of electric cars. In the first half of 2025, fully electric models achieved a record mark of 17 percent in Europe on average.

“The manufacturers should worry less about the next EU goals and more about their global competitiveness,” said Mock. Every hesitation undermines the trust of investors and consumers, while other markets, especially China, are becoming more important, said the ICCT managing director.

In spring 2014, the International Council on Clean Transportation (ICCT) published a study on conspicuous measurements of exhaust gas values ​​in the United States – there was still no question of fraud. But a year and a half later, the US environmental authority EPA published the “Notice of Violation” on September 18, 2015, in which VW was accused of bypassing software emission tests for certain air pollutants.