European Alternative Fuels Observatory
At the end of March, the European Commission released the new European Alternative Fuels Observatory at www.eafo.eu.
The objective of this Observatory is to be the one-stop-shop for all data and relevant information regarding alternative transport fuels in Europe. The current version of the portal covers electricity. The second version to be released in June will also cover hydrogen and natural gas. A third version is being considered for late 2016 or 2017 to also cover biofuels and LPG.
The Observatory is there to support the development of alternative transport fuels in Europe and assist the Member States with the implementation of Directive 2014/94/EU on the deployment of recharging and refuelling stations. This Directive requires that the Member States ensure a minimum coverage of certain alternative fuels by end 2020, or end 2025 or end 2030 depending on the fuels. The Observatory will also be of great use to cities as a pilot of 20 cities are developing a city-specific factsheet for the deployment of alternative transport fuels, which will be ready this summer. Interested cities are encouraged to contact the EAFO team.
Up until now, data has been available on a fragmented and non-quality checked basis. The Observatory is gathering all existing data, performing the necessary quality checks and cross-checks so that users can trust their reliability. It also provides useful relevant information. Regular research and analysis will be conducted on the basis of the data and information, to provide recommendations to policy-makers and stakeholders.
For many parts, the Observatory receives direct input from European countries and stakeholders. People and entities holding additional data and information are cordially invited to share it with the Observatory to the benefit of all. Only together will we be stronger and be able to support our European citizens and businesses.
The Observatory is managed by a consortium led by AVERE, the European Association for Electromobility. Also involved are POLIS, a leading association of cities; the VUB, the Flemish University of Brussels; TNO, a consultancy; and Tobania, an IT company.
Questions, requests for further information and offers to contribute can be directed at info [at] eafo [dot] eu or Bert Witkamp, Secretary-General of AVERE and project coordinator of the EAFO at bert [dot] witkamp [at] avere [dot] org. The project officer at the European Commission is Isabelle Maës at isabelle [dot] maes [at] ec [dot] europa [dot] eu.
Author: Bert Witkamp
