Europe could avoid 190 million barrels of oil imports every year by 2030 if it delivers on electric vehicles, generating around €12 billion in annual savings, according to new analysis published today by E-Mobility Europe and Ember. Achieving these savings depends on meeting the EU's 2030 deployment targets: 35 million battery electric vehicles (BEVs), 3 million electric commercial vehicles and 200,000 electric trucks.
Corporate fleets lead EV uptake as costs near half
Europe's oil dependency carries a significant economic and strategic cost. Road transport accounts for two thirds of overall EU demand for oil products, making the switch from combustion to electric vehicles the fastest, most efficient and most scalable way to cut consumption. In 2025, battery electric vehicles registered in the EU displaced 57 million barrels of oil, preventing roughly €4 billion in European wealth from flowing outside the bloc. This year alone, one million newly registered EVs have already cut consumption by 4 million barrels.
Chris Heron, Secretary General of E-Mobility Europe, said: "Europe must decide: do we continue to relinquish our strategic autonomy to other regions, or will we act with laser focus to capture the full benefits of electric security? As a continent, we need to decide who we want to be, get back in the EV driving seat, and deliver long-term resilience."
Call for action
The report argues that Europe must build deeper resilience to establish genuine EV energy security without creating new dependencies. It sets out five priorities that must be delivered together:
1. Deploy – put more electric cars, vans and trucks on Europe's roads
2. Build – strengthen Europe's EV industrial base
3. Power – make electricity the affordable fuel of transport
4. Flex – turn EVs into energy assets
5. Protect – secure the digital backbone of mobility
From liability to asset – the new economics of fleet charging
The European Commission's forthcoming Electrification Action Plan should mark a milestone for a more focused EV resilience strategy, putting Europe back on an irreversible electrification path. (hcn)
