The EU has announced that it will not abandon its ban on the sale of combustion engine cars from 2035. “We are sticking to the targets for 2035, as well as those for 2025 and 2030,” said Transport Commissioner Apostolos Tzitzikostas.

When the EU announced that it would introduce new CO2 regulations from 2025, threatening heavy fines for those who did not comply, many European manufacturers rebelled. The EU then tried to find a compromise, and the deadline for reducing emissions was extended to 2027. This means that instead of measuring emissions compliance over just one year, averages will be measured over the past two years.

The group that represents manufacturers of electric vehicles and chargers, T&E, opposes the extension of the deadline, believing that the decision will not have a positive effect, because manufacturers will be able to produce less affordable vehicles, which will increase the already unattainable difference between Europe and China. They believe that the EU should be decisive in its goals and not make any concessions. However, how realistic would it be for the EU to make a radical decision?

The transition to fully electric cars is an expensive process and requires a lot of investment. This includes investment in research and development, new supply chains, training and equipping distributors and their workshops. The fact that the deadline had to be extended is an indication that the ten-year target is unrealistic. However, car manufacturers now have just three years to reach the new targets.

Source: Reuters