Stellantis is calling on European institutions to reconsider the balance between environmental requirements and conditions in the light commercial vehicle market. Emanuele Cappellano, the group’s Head of Europe and leader of Pro One, raised the issue at the 2026 Hannover Motor Show, arguing that the shift to electric vehicles must reflect both companies’ investment capacity and their day-to-day operating needs.
Stellantis asks EU to rethink EV rules for commercial vehicles
The debate centers on how businesses choose work vehicles. A company must rely on its van to complete deliveries or reach customers, and buying an electric model involves much more than comparing prices. Operators also need to determine where they can charge it and whether charging stops can fit into working schedules without reducing productivity.
According to Cappellano, regulatory timelines and customers’ purchasing decisions are increasingly moving at different speeds. Many businesses continue to choose internal-combustion vehicles while dealing with economic uncertainty that makes fleet replacement harder to plan.
Stellantis is therefore asking policymakers to support the transition with timely measures that make electrification practical even for companies with limited resources. Simply offering an electric van at a dealership does not solve every problem, since adoption may also require charging infrastructure at company facilities and changes to daily routes and working patterns.
The issue also directly affects Italy through Fiat Professional and the other brands within the division. Pro One brings together Stellantis’ commercial vehicle operations across Citroën, Opel, Peugeot, Ram and Vauxhall, serving customers ranging from small tradespeople to major fleet operators.
Operating requirements can vary significantly even when two businesses use the same vehicle. A van that returns to the same depot every evening has very different charging opportunities from one that follows changing routes, while a long charging stop can have a much greater impact depending on the type of service. Cappellano argues that European policymakers need to take these practical constraints into account.
Stellantis continues to invest in electrification but wants regulations to reflect how quickly customers can realistically adopt the technology. Cappellano’s comments amount to a broader call for policies that better match market conditions, without providing enough detail to suggest that Stellantis is asking for specific new deadlines or exemptions.
