IRENA at the Pentalateral Conference on Electromobility

Supported by IRENA, Luxembourg organised a Ministerial Conference on Electromobility from 21 and 22 October in Luxembourg. The Pentalateral conference 'Closing the loop between Energy and Transport', gathered for the first time key stakeholders from all sectors involved such as car manufacturers, electricity market players and e-mobility actors.

Participants discussed challenges and opportunities of electrified transport systems. The uptake of electric vehicles (EVs) is accelerating. There were 5.6 million EVs on the world’s roads at the beginning of 2019. In this context, questions arise on the nexus between EVs and renewable energies, the vision of road transport for the future (incl. trucks and vans) and national policies for electric mobilities in the Benelux, Germany, France, Austria and Switzerland. The two-day event provided a platform to debate investment and deployment of EV charging infrastructure, the impact on the electricity network as well as the supply and the implication of citizens. On the first day, experts of the region and beyond exchanged on cross-border aspects on the matters of transport and energy. On the second day, the rapporteur of each panel reported to the Ministers on their conclusions which fed into the ministerial discussion.

See the full programme.

Key notes were provided by Claude Turmes, Minister for Energy of Luxembourg, Thomas Antoine, Secretary-General Benelux Union, Dolf Gielen, Director Innovation and Technology Center IRENA, Jörg Sommer, CEO StreetScooter Deutsche Post DHL and Anja Van Niersen, CEO Allego, amongst others.

The Ministerial was also supported by the Pentalateral Energy Forum and the Benelux Union.