Movin'On chief: Europe must shift from setting mobility targets to creating conditions for reaching them
Europe lags far behind China in electrifying heavy-duty trucks, and Movin'On managing director Gaël Quéinnec argues the EU needs to focus on the economic and political conditions that make its mobility targets achievable.
In 2025, electric vehicles accounted for 28 percent of new heavy-duty vehicle sales in China, compared with just 1.9 percent in the European Union, according to data from the International Council on Clean Transportation (ICCT). Writing in a sponsored column for Politico Europe, Movin'On managing director Gaël Quéinnec argues this gap is not about technology, which is available on both sides, but about the absence of the right economic and political conditions.
He contrasts China's ability to plan and implement transitions centrally with Europe's liberal, democratic model, which cannot impose change by decree and instead must align the interests, rules and risks of manufacturers, carriers, energy providers and financiers.
Three examples
First, heavy-duty trucking: 78 percent of EU land freight moves by road, and electrifying it is held back mainly by economic barriers — higher purchase prices, uncertain resale values, unfinished charging infrastructure and slow grid connections. Quéinnec points to possible solutions such as battery leasing, residual-value guarantees and shared charging infrastructure.
Second, affordable small electric cars: many European households still cannot afford electric vehicles, while Asian manufacturers prepare cheaper compact models for the market. The European Commission has proposed a dedicated category for compact EVs with incentives for European production, and Movin'On is developing its own response, the Pop Car project, with industry partners.
Third, artificial intelligence in mobility systems: since Aug. 2, 2026, the EU's AI Act has applied its first transparency obligations to certain AI systems. Quéinnec argues that beyond transparency, societies must decide what such systems should prioritize — speed, cost efficiency or environmental performance — since these are collective choices embedded in software.
The column concludes that a successful transition requires giving all stakeholders both the incentive and the capacity to act, with public authorities setting the overall direction rather than imposing every step. Movin'On plans to further discuss these issues at its summit in Paris on Oct. 8-9.
