As confirmed by Agence France Presse, the European Commission takes a step back from stopping the production of cars with internal combustion engines (petrol, diesel, gas, hybrid cars and vehicles powered by low-emission fuels) after 2035. In practice, manufacturers of cars with internal combustion engines will be able to continue to produce and sell these vehicles beyond the expected deadlines. But that wasn’t the only step taken today: instead of calling for a 100% reduction in CO emissions₂ from new cars within the same year as had been declared in recent months, the target has been lowered to 90%.
The news had already leaked last week, when the president of the European People’s Party Manfred Weber he had revealed to the German newspaper Bild to have met the president of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen in Brussels.
The commission led by Von der Leyen, in fact, had announced a very different objective: from 2035 all new cars and light vehicles sold in the EU would no longer have to produce CO2 emissions, putting combustion cars out of play. But then he had to collide with reality, made up of pressure from the European automotive industry (Volkswagen, Stellantis, Renault, Mercedes‑Benz and BMW), which can now claim victory, and those by governments (Germany and Italy first and foremost, followed by Poland, Slovakia, the Czech Republic, Hungary and Bulgaria), who have incessantly asked the Commission to review the “too stringent” deadlines and the “too rigid” objectives to be pursued in so few years.
Furthermore, to achieve the 90% emissions reduction objective assigned to each manufacturer, the Commission has proposed introducing a new category of electric cars approved as “M0” (M zero), with lower performance than traditional cars and smaller dimensions (maximum length 3.40 metres). Only one condition: these cars must be made in Europe. Each of these small e-cars placed on the market would guarantee an advantage to producers, allowing them to accumulate profits supercredits and, consequently, compensate for the sale of a greater number of combustion engine vehicles than allowed by the general limit of 90%.
However, the hypothesis of a widespread European electric car clashes with the issue oforigin of the batterieswhich come almost entirely from Asia. In official communications there is no reference to possible financing for the creation of new mega industrial plants in Europe dedicated to the large-scale production of LFP (lithium-iron-phosphate) batteries, which, thanks to lower costs, would represent the only solution truly compatible with electric cars designed to be economical.
According to some politicians with expertise in the automotive sector and climate issues, this decision – which should allow a more gradual transition to electric preceded by low-emission and hybrid cars or other transitional solutions – it could, however slow down the transition towards electric mobility and weaken European competitiveness compared to China, now increasingly ahead in the sector. Furthermore, by lowering the CO₂ emissions reduction target from 100% to 90%, the European Union risks not reaching the targets set for decarbonization of the transport sector. This could undermine efforts to reduce Europe’s overall CO₂ emissions.
