EU Backs Electrification to Make Europe More Secure

The European Commission has set a goal to nearly double how much of Europe's energy comes from electricity, aiming for 46% by 2040. The plan is a response to Europe's heavy reliance on imported fossil fuels, which make up more than half of its energy supply, and it puts special focus on transportation, since cars and trucks still run on fossil fuels for over 90% of their energy.

A key piece of the plan involves electric vehicles. The Commission wants EVs to work as "batteries on wheels" through a technology called vehicle-to-grid (V2G), where a car's battery can feed power back into the electric grid, not just draw from it. This could help store extra solar and wind power for times when the sun isn't shining or the wind isn't blowing, and could ease strain on power grids that might otherwise need expensive upgrades. One gap noted by the group Transport & Environment: the plan doesn't require automakers to include the onboard hardware needed for V2G, meaning drivers might still have to pay extra for equipment to use the feature.

The plan also calls for heat pumps and household batteries as part of the broader shift away from gas and oil, and sets a target for charging infrastructure at ports to support electric ferries by 2040. This is European Union policy, not a U.S. program, so it doesn't come with rebates or rules for American homeowners. But it signals where heat pump and home battery technology, along with EV charging standards, may be headed globally in the coming years.