POLIS’ Pedro Gomes emphasised the importance of decarbonization and urban planning reforms to combat climate change effectively. He highlighted road transport as a major contributor to GHG emissions, asserting that "electromobility, while beneficial, is not a silver bullet." For POLIS, we should not view electric cars as the ultimate solution to all, given the inability of this approach to fully address issues such as traffic congestion.

Moreover, he raised concerns about the escalating size and weight of vehicles, emphasising the resultant challenges for urban infrastructure, safety, and allocation of urban space. "The growing size of vehicles poses significant problems for our cities," he warned. "It is crucial to reconsider their role in urban environments."

He advocated for a reimagining of urban landscapes, envisioning a future where cars play a different, potentially diminished role. "While there is undoubtedly a place for cars in our cities," he stated, "ideally, their function will evolve in the future."

1) Sustainable Urban Transport: Are cars compatible with cleaner, greener cities?

Lisa Winkler, a researcher from the University of Freiburg, shared insights from her analysis on the impact of sustainable mobility transition policies on emissions and energy demand, particularly focusing on the compatibility of cars with cleaner, greener cities.

Winkler co-authored a peer-reviewed paper to investigate existing car-related policies in London and assess their alignment with the targets necessary to limit global warming to 1.5 or 2 degrees Celsius.

By comparing the impact of these policies to a baseline, one of the key findings of their analysis was that while some policies showed promise, they were deemed too slow to effectively reduce greenhouse gas emissions and stay within required carbon budgets. Winkler emphasised the urgent need for faster, more efficient solutions, particularly given the slower pace of technological advancements in vehicle manufacturing.

According to the research, a substantial reduction in car kilometres is imperative to align with the goals of the Paris Agreement. Winkler underscored the ethical complexities associated with carbon budgeting, advocating for fair and equitable distribution of emissions targets while considering historical responsibility.

Winkler’s conclusions

• Current London transport policies are wildly insufficient to meet stringent carbon budgets.
• A rapid and large-scale reduction in car use is necessary to achieve short-term emissions targets.
• Relying on efficiency and electrification policies takes too long due to the turnover time of the fleet.
• The vast majority of carbon emissions that fill up the remaining carbon budget originate from cars that already exist and policy efforts should focus on mitigating this.
• Without increased consensus on regional and sub-sectoral carbon budgets, it is difficult for regional policymakers in urban areas to apply policies that meet the Paris Agreement.

2) Electric cars as a path to sustainable mobility: Insights from Nord-Jæren

Ioannis Kosmidis, a researcher at the University of Stavanger, shared findings from a peer-reviewed paper on the Nord-Jaeren region in Norway, shedding light on the travel behaviour and attitudes towards sustainable mobility in a context with high electric vehicle (EV) deployment.

Kosmidis underscored the widespread deployment of EVs in the region, attributing their popularity primarily to environmental awareness and economic benefits among citizens.

Despite the region's heavy car dependence due to urban sprawl, only 18% of the population has access to EVs, which results in a severe lack of equity in the electromobility transition. Kosmidis’ research was based on regional travel survey data, which made a distinction between attitudes between users of EVs and internal combustion engine vehicles (ICEVs). His analysis showed that EV users consist of high-income individuals who already have access to a car. In addition, higher environmental awareness doesn’t necessarily imply lower car use (or higher use of alternatives).  Multimodal travellers have higher environmental awareness and a lower car attitude, which could explain why they did not shift to EVs.

While environmental awareness correlated positively with EV use, attachment to car attitudes was more important among the affluent EV-owning group.

Individuals showed a preference for either cars or bicycles when presented with the choice. Bus attitude plays no role in the decision to use it more often. It is a compromise made when both car and bicycle are either unavailable or perceived as inconvenient.

Kosmidis's presentation provided valuable insights into the complexities of EV adoption and mobility attitudes in the Nord-Jaeren region, highlighting the interplay between environmental consciousness, economic incentives, and ingrained car-centric behaviours. These findings offer significant implications for policymakers and urban planners seeking to promote sustainable mobility in similar contexts.

Kosmidis’ conclusions

• The wider deployment of EVs resulted in a new group of environmentally aware and dedicated car users.
• EVs can become a moral licensing tool allowing to maintain existing car-oriented lifestyle.
• Environmental awareness creates a “spillover effect” due to the existing convenience of cars.
• The relative convenience of the car plays an important role in travel behaviour.
• To reduce car use, it is essential to improve alternative options and simultaneously restrict car traffic.
• More consideration is needed on how EVs are incentivised to avoid restricting the potential of public transport and cycling.

The Q&A session delved into various facets of sustainable mobility, addressing concerns and opportunities surrounding public transport costs, attitudes towards different transport modes, and the evolving mindset towards car ownership.

Antonio Figueiredo from the city of Lisbon raised the issue of effectively communicating the benefits of reducing car usage in cities and dealing with potential backlash. Ioannis Kosmidis acknowledged the necessity of emphasising trade-offs and discussed their methodology for measuring the "car attitude" variable, emphasising the importance of promoting the benefits of alternative transport modes.

Joshua Beuving from Northern Netherlands inquired about the consideration of public transport costs in attitude changes towards transport modes. Lisa Winkler highlighted the policy focus of her research, emphasising the need to prioritise funding for public infrastructure over private car infrastructure. Ioannis Kosmidis echoed this sentiment, suggesting that while reducing public transport costs could potentially encourage mode shift, it might not be a significant factor in regions with established car-centric attitudes.

Pedro Gomes expressed concerns about disparities between federal and city-level mobility policies and the challenge of ensuring political leadership's awareness and commitment to sustainable mobility goals. Lisa Winkler pointed out the regression in policy changes at the national level and the difficulty in translating global agreements like the Paris Agreement into actionable policies.

Pedro Gomes further asked Ioannis Kosmidis about the evolving mentality towards car ownership and its impact on future mobility trends. Ioannis expressed optimism about the new generation's inclination towards multimodal and shared mobility, suggesting a shift away from the traditional mindset of car ownership as a symbol of freedom.

View all presentations here.