The European Commission’s Sustainable and Smart Mobility Strategy, published today, will fail to achieve 2050 carbon neutrality targets as it is based on a distorted “tank-to-wheel” approach that only measures CO2 emissions at the vehicle tailpipe. This will severely limit the decarbonisation potential of commercial goods and passenger transport by road. Commission plans must use the more comprehensive “well-to-wheel” approach to guide more targeted public and private investments to reduce emissions. Without this, the blunt modal shift approach in this strategy will lead to hugely misguided and futile investments: a high price to pay for a sub-standard result.