The Automotive Update: EU reveals Industrial Accelerator Act proposal
05 March 2026
What can be expected from the much-anticipated Industrial Accelerator Act (IAA)? Plus, an exclusive report from the Commercial Fleets Summit. Tom Geggus, Autovista24 editor, presents the Automotive Update podcast.
This episode takes a look at the recently unveiled IAA and what it could mean for the European automotive industry. Also, Autovista24 journalist Tom Hooker dials in from the Commercial Fleets Summit, hosted in Brussels.
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EU reveals the Industrial Accelerator Act
The European Commission has proposed the long-anticipated Industrial Accelerator Act. Central to the legislation is the enhancement of localised EU industrial competitiveness and promotion of low-carbon production methods.
The IAA aims to increase local value creation and strengthen the region’s industrial base. This comes amid perceived unfair global competition and dependencies on non-EU suppliers. The act will look to boost manufacturing’s share of EU GDP to 20% by 2035. However, the IAA also outlines that the EU should remain open to outside investment.
A Q&A published by the European Commission highlighted that low-carbon requirements will be created for steel and aluminium used by the automotive industry. ‘Made in the EU’ standards will also apply to aluminium. Provisions will also apply to electric vehicles and their components.
The proposal builds on previous EU legislation, further streamlining the deployment of clean technologies across numerous European industries. For the automotive sector, the proposal follows last year’s Automotive Package announcement.
The IAA will be negotiated by the European Parliament, and the Council of the European Union, before its adoption.
Commercial Fleets Summit reveals
The Commercial Fleets Summit is a two-day international event held in Brussels. It focuses on a wide range of key issues and trends impacting the global commercial vehicle sector.
Several key themes have already emerged at this year’s event, centred specifically on light-commercial vehicles. These included environmental regulation, fleet electrification, plus the incorporation of connected vehicles and use of artificial intelligence (AI). In terms of electrification, discussions centred on issues surrounding charging infrastructure efficiency.
‘There is less talk about if fleets are going to electrify. Instead, it is more about how fast, and how they are actually going to achieve that,’ stated Autovista24 journalist Tom Hooker, from the event.
‘Charging infrastructure is being seen as both a bottleneck and an opportunity. You then obviously have the interaction with the electricity grid, and this is certainly emerging as a new consideration,’ he added.
The event also touched upon the future for commercial fleets. Looking ahead, these could be further integrated with digital ecosystems, with brand loyalty becoming less of a factor. Instead, digital-led frameworks could become increasingly important when selecting vehicle type and brand. Additionally, technology and AI will play an increasingly crucial role.
‘I think one of the first AI use cases will be helping fleet operators to manage and reduce fuel costs,’ Hooker said. ‘This, in turn, is having a high return on investments in some other areas. One thing I think I will hear more about later, is route optimisation and energy efficiency gains.’
