2Zero organised its first SRG of 2025 in Cracow
2Zero SRG members gathered in Cracow and online for the first time in 2025 in the context of the EU Polish presidency.
SRG members were given the chance to visit BOSMAL, one of our members, on the 8th April, to discover vehicles from their museum as well as to get a glimpse of the diversity of their activities. It was an impressive visit!
On the second day, 9th April, the SRG meeting itself was kindly hosted by another member, Cracow Technical University (CTU). Following some introductory words, the Polish Ministry of Climate and Environment gave all attendees a comprehensive overview of the many activities and support schemes in place to support the transition to zero tailpipe mobility: from vehicles to infrastructure, the system approach promoted in 2Zero is also well implemented in Poland. The meetings continued with a presentation of yet another of our members: L-PIMOT, a research network of 22 R&I institutes and 240 laboratories performing research in various fields, from electric and hybrid vehicles to battery fatigue or safety-related activities.
After receiving an overview of ongoing activities from the 2Zero partnership, and of the latest relevant activities from the European Commission (including the automotive action plan and competitiveness compass), SRG members engaged in a lively discussion related to the 10th Framework Programme, and the importance of pre-competitive research and innovation activities for a successful transition towards carbon neutral road transport of the future.
The role of partnership in FP10 and looking into the future is instrumental; partnerships such as 2Zero provide a unique insight into strategic issues, the transition towards zero tailpipe emission, and ensure a higher impact and a strengthened ecosystem at EU level. This is essential to support the competitiveness of the automotive industry, but also of Europe compared to other parts of the world.
Member States have a role to play, and the future of the SRG was also extensively discussed: how to better align priorities between European and national (and regional) levels? How to increase the impact of the Member States involvement in the SRG? And how to ensure that the complexity of the topic is mirrored in the SRG participation, with various ministry responsibilities from research to environment, transport, education or funding.
The first Cooperation Working Arrangement we signed with Piemonte could be a pilot to ensure more involvement of national and local authorities in 2Zero activities.
In order to continue to strive for more, we can count on the driving force of Eleonora Riva Sanseverino, who was re-elected chairwoman of the 2Zero SRG for another two years. Congratulations!
We ended the day with two great technical visits: one to Cracow Technical University where we could discover some of their most up to date measurement tools (among many other activities) and to the KMK Public transport facilities where we could see the depot charging of more than 100 electric buses, a truly impressive snapshot of the future of urban public transport.
A big thanks to Magdalena Glogowska from NCBR (Narodowe Centrum Badań i Rozwoju) for the great organisation of this meeting.