The electric car sales in Europe they are struggling to take off, indeed, in June they suffered a decline even in markets historically more fond of battery vehicles. Numbers that however must not make the Commission review its objectives, with the ban on petrol and diesel set for 2035. Even if flexibility is needed on several fronts.
It was reiterated by Luca De Meonumber one of the Renault Group, in an interview given to Corriere della Sera.
You have to be ready
The Italian manager in fact recalled how
“When it was decided, two years ago, the position of France and that of the Renault Group was that 2035 was too early and that we should rather aim for 2040. We also asked that the principle of technological neutrality be respected and that the calculation of CO2 emissions should take into account the entire life cycle of the car, from cradle to grave. And not just the CO2 that comes out of the exhaust pipe. On these three issues, I have not changed my mind”
A matter of timing and not of contents therefore, underlining how
“The truth is that we are not yet on the right trajectory to reach 100% electric cars by 2035. That’s the truth. If customers don’t follow us, we are all responsible. We have to cut costs”
With the confirmation of Ursula Von Der Leyen at the helm of the European Commission, the 2035 date could remain, even if an update of 2026 is already planned, when the European leaders could review the calendar. However De Meo clarified how
“But we must not exploit the current market slowdown to simply abandon the objective. That would be a serious strategic error. The European car industry has invested tens of billions of euros in this transition. Do we throw them out the window? No. The political power cannot change its mind at a time when all our efforts are being realized with the arrival of new models on the market. We must not reject progress.
Progress that goes towards electric but which also needs other solutions
“In the next 10 years there will not be enough electric vehicles to have a real impact on decarbonisation. It is appropriate to push the plug-in hybrid, as the Chinese are doing. In roulette you cannot bet everything on one colour.
And speaking of the Chinese, De Meo, when asked about the issue of duties, replied
“The Chinese saw the opportunity for a technological leap with electric cars very early on, while we were still discussing diesel. They took a generation advantage. But we must not politicize the issue of duties. For me it is a technical and legal issue. We have the rules of the World Trade Organization and we must respect the principle of reciprocity. (…) ((The opening of new factories in Europe) Clearly it is an attempt to circumvent the duties. But I also think that we must find compromises with the Chinese, because the Chinese industry can bring a lot to the European industry, stimulating it with competition, and because it brings technology and raw materials
Source: it.motor1.com
