Brussels, 25 May 2012 -- E-mobility has the potential to play a key role in meeting the challenges towards sustainable transport. Standardisation of the connection between the electricity grid and electrically-chargeable vehicles is one of the prerequisites to help e-mobility gain a viable market share.

ACEA, CLEPA and EURELECTRIC jointly agree on the need for a single harmonised plug system for the recharging of electric vehicles on both the vehicle and the infrastructure sides, and have put forward a proposal accordingly*. The associations stress that this issue needs to be solved urgently, before the rolling-out of the infrastructure starts in different Member States on a wider scale.

Therefore, the associations jointly and strongly urge the relevant European Institutions, and in particular the European Commission, to take appropriate measures to ensure the implementation of a single solution for the charging of electrically-chargeable vehicles in Europe, in line with the European industry proposal.

Standardisation provides predictability to investors; it enables economies of scale, reduces costs for all stakeholders and is essential in increasing user acceptance. All relevant industries want to provide a simple and cross-border operational solution for European citizens.

The signatory associations are promoting a solution that can push Europe a step further, providing a tool for a more competitive and successful e-mobility market in the EU. The necessary steps should be taken to implement this solution without further delay.

* ACEA has updated its position paper to cover recent developments, and CLEPA is now co-signatory of the paper. EURELECTRIC has recently issued its own paper reflecting the same position. The papers are available for download on the associations’ websites.

About ACEA

The European automotive industry is key to the strength and competitiveness of Europe. The ACEA members are BMW Group, DAF Trucks, Daimler, FIAT S.p.A., Ford of Europe, General Motors Europe, Hyundai Motor Europe, IVECO S.p.A., Jaguar Land Rover, MAN Truck & Bus, Porsche, PSA Peugeot Citroën, Renault Group, Scania, Toyota Motor Europe, Volkswagen Group, Volvo Cars and Volvo Group. The industry provides direct employment to more than 2.3 million people and indirectly supports another 10 million jobs. Annually, ACEA members invest over €26 billion in R&D, or 5% of turnover.

For more information, contact Sigrid de Vries, +32 2 738 73 45 or sv@acea.be and consult http://www.acea.be/

About CLEPA

CLEPA is the European Association of Automotive Suppliers; 90 of the world's most prominent suppliers of car parts, systems and modules and 25 National trade associations and European sector associations are members. CLEPA represents more than

3 thousand companies, employing more than 5 million people and covering all products and services within the automotive supply chain. Based in Brussels, CLEPA is recognised as the natural discussion partner by the European Institutions, United Nations and fellow associations (ACEA, JAMA, MEMA, etc).

For more information, contact Amalia Di Stefano, +32 2 743 91 35 or a.distefano@clepa.be and consult www.clepa.eu

About EURELECTRIC

The Union of the Electricity Industry is the sector association which represents the common interests of the electricity industry at pan-European level, plus its affiliates and associates on several other continents. In line with its mission, EURELECTRIC seeks to contribute to the competitiveness of the electricity industry and to promote the role of electricity both in the advancement of society and in helping provide solutions to the challenges of sustainable development.

For more information, contact Julia Eichhorst, +32 2 515 10 35 or jeichhorst@eurelectric.org and consult http://www.eurelectric.org