Quo Vadis? Technological trajectories of the automotive industry towards decarbonization goals

If, on one hand, new technologies can increase production efficiency and reduce the consumption of natural resources, they can also bring new environmental risks. This dynamic is particularly relevant for the automotive industry, since it is at the same time one of the sectors that most invests in R&D and also contributes with a significant portion of greenhouse gas emissions and final energy consumption. This article aims to analyze the feasibility of meeting the environmental targets in place within the European Union in light of the recent technological trajectory of the automotive industry, namely with regard to the adoption of propulsion models alternative to oil and diesel. Using data disaggregated by countries, from 2000 up until 2020 retrieved from Eurostat and the World Bank Database, the estimated regressions aimed at verifying whether electrical vehicles had a positive impact on the emission of CO2 found that the EU and members from European Commom Market (Norway, Iceland, Switzerland and UK) will succeed in meeting the current target they intend to implement in the forthcoming years, with attention to the economy recovery after 2025 and a more robust EV market penetration in replacement of traditional fossil fuels cars.