Electrifying and digitising Europe’s buildings, transport and industrial processes in a safer way

The decarbonisation of the European society and economy passes through the electrification and digitisation of all aspects of our lives including buildings, the transport sector as well as industrial processes and manufacturing. High-tech and high-performing power, communication and data cables will lay the foundations for this revolution to happen and help all relevant sectors to meet their demands for electrification, communication and data transfer.

Europacable Members are committed to the continuous success of the CPR. They have and will continue to invest to supply cable products that contribute to improve safety levels for European citizens in case of a fire.
But fire safety is not just a manufacturing issue. It is a shared responsibility! This is why Europacable is actively engaged in activities aimed at raising awareness among electrical professionals and promoting a smart and effective enforcement of CPR to make sure that only compliant cables are sold in the EU.

High-quality, CPR compliant and safe electrical systems and broadband communication networks will play a major role in making Europe’s building stock smarter and more energy-efficient. They will enable both the electrification and digitalisation of buildings by turning them into a key player for decarbonisation.

Digital and electricity will shine the light for the future of mobility and the European wire and cable industry has a crucial role to play in this journey: From supplying special cables for autonomous and electric vehicles, to providing solutions for building the needed infrastructure needed to enable connectivity and electric charging.

Industry Cables will also be a key component of the 4th industrial revolution which aims at digitising Europe’s manufacturing while aligning industrial processes with the EU’s decarbonisation ambitions.

High-quality and safe cables and wires to turn buildings into a key player for decarbonisation

Buildings are crucial to making the European Union climate-neutral by 2050. They are one of the pillars of the energy transition and have seen their importance moving from being a passive actor to an active hub in the fight against climate change as aimed by the Renovation Wave Strategy.

High-quality, CPR compliant and safe electrical systems and broadband communication networks have a key role to play in enabling the decarbonisation of Europe’s building stock based on their electrification and digitalisation:

• High-performing, low fire hazard power cables and low voltage direct current (LVDC) systems will enable future smart buildings and promote their active interaction with electricity distribution networks as they will foster renewable-driven sector integration via the deployment of electric-vehicle infrastructure, the electrification of the heating and cooling systems, the integration of on-site renewable generation and storage;
• High-quality, energy efficient broadband networks will drive the digital transformation of buildings and enable high-speed internet access for all building users.

Furthermore, decarbonisation objectives must go hand in hand with the need for further promotion of fire safety: The ever-increasing electrification and digitalisation of buildings will require safer products. In this respect, high quality, CPR compliant electrical and communication cables and systems will contribute to make buildings safer thanks to their compliance with strict fire performance rules and by providing continuity of power and communication in case of a fire.

Supplying safe and reliable cables and systems is at the core of the European cable industry’s commitment towards EU citizens. This is why Europacable is member both of FEEDS (Forum for European Electrical Safety) and EuroFSA (European Fire Safety Alliance) with whom has drafted and actively advocates for the implementation of the first European Fire Safety Action Plan.

Digital and E-mobility driving the future of mobility

The European wire and cable industry is at the forefront of both the electrification and digitalisation of the transport sector which will be key in helping Europe reach climate-neutrality by 2050. According to the European Green Deal, the transport sector should reduce 90% of its greenhouse gas emissions by mid-century to contribute to the decarbonisation of the European society and economy.

Digital and electricity shine the light for the future of mobility which will be made of Connected, Autonomous, Shared, Electric (CASE) vehicles. E-mobility and autonomous driving will lead to a rethinking of vehicles which will need an increased number of sensors that require robust and redundant energy and data connectivity. This will be translated into a growing demand for cables, an average of 10km of energy and communication cables compared to the current 6km which is why wire and cable products will play an ever more important role in this sector.

A massive deployment of autonomous and electric vehicles (EVs) will also change the infrastructure landscape both in connectivity and electricity terms. A deep ramification of fibre networks will be needed to enable autonomous driving. At the same time, the electrification of road transport will require a long-term, integrated approach to grid network planning to rapidly deploy the needed charging infrastructure.

The European wire and cable industry has a crucial role to play in all the aspects of autonomous and e-mobility: From supplying special data and power cables for vehicles to optical fibre cables needed to foster connectivity and enable autonomous driving to all range of power cables which are crucial for upgrading and extending the distribution grid, building the loading station infrastructure and ensuring charging via high-quality, reliant, safe charging cables.
And it has the know-how, experience and technological leadership to make sure that digital and E-mobility drive the future of Europe’s mobility.

Electrifying and digitising Europe´s Manufacturing

Industry Cables are a key component of the 4th industrial revolution whose objective is to digitise Europe’s manufacturing while aligning industrial processes with the EU’s decarbonisation ambitions.

Industry Cables are used in a wide range of industrial applications and have to meet ever increasing demands in terms of energy efficiency, performance, reliability and safety.

They are extremely diverse comprising power cables, control and instrumentation cables, data transmission and communication cables (including optical fibre) or combinations of all of the above. And they have to reliably operate in challenging and sensitive environments, including:

• aerospace industry,
• automotive industry,
• military applications,
• oil & gas industry,
• mining industry,
• nuclear plants.

To meet the demands for electrification, communication and data transfer and ensure flawless operation of smart factories, Industry 4.0 will require new, high-tech and high-performing cable solutions. Europacable member companies cover the full range of the above-mentioned cable applications and continue to work on setting new standards for the solutions of tomorrow.