Setting a fixed date when carbon dioxide emission limits from cars fall to zero, ie a de facto ban on sales of new cars with internal combustion engines, can paradoxically mean a worsening of the climate, according to carmakers and experts. People will buy cars with petrol and diesel engines to a greater extent before 2035, and at the same time they will use older and less environmentally friendly vehicles for longer.
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For car manufacturers, this will mean additional costs associated with accelerating the transition to electric cars, higher investment and additional uncertainty. This was stated by the Association of the Automotive Industry (AutoSAP).
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“As a result of the 100% exclusion of internal combustion engines from new passenger cars, it is very likely that the age of used cars will increase, which households in particular will run longer in cases where an electric car is not suitable or too expensive for them,” said EY automotive partner Petr Knap. .
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On the contrary, according to him, a clearly defined commitment of member states to contribute to the improvement of conditions, ie charging infrastructure, for the development of alternative drives would be positive in this variant. So far, only manufacturers have been committed, and there has been no pressure to create and facilitate demand.
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“We do not agree with setting a fixed date for a ban on the sale of internal combustion engines, and this could ultimately be a counterproductive decision for the entire automotive industry. It is far from just car manufacturers, but also their suppliers, for whom the next decade will be extremely demanding and very expensive, in terms of planning and regrouping the production of existing and newly required technologies. Negative impacts can therefore be expected within the entire value chain of the automotive industry, including impacts on the labor market, ”said Zdeněk Petzl, Executive Director of AutoSAP.
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According to Petzl, the plan should take into account the different geographical and economic conditions in the individual EU Member States. According to him, the proposed regulation also takes little account of the contribution of synthetic and renewable fuels for decarbonisation and the existing vehicle fleet, as well as the need to maintain adequate technological solutions for a wide portfolio of vehicle applications. “It is also an absolutely crucial task that the changes required by the regulation do not represent leaps in the production volumes of individual technologies and parts and their planning,” Petzl said.
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Goals must not hurt, Babiš said
According to Prime Minister Andrej Babiš (YES), the proposal presented by the commission is extremely ambitious. “We have repeatedly said that the goals must be such as not to harm our industry, not to harm the car industry, that we must do so with common sense and not with some ideology,” the prime minister said.
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He said that according to the first reports he has, he thinks that the EC’s goal is extremely ambitious. He added that because he does not know the proposal in detail, he is not yet able to give a fundamental opinion on it. Babiš will hold talks with EC Vice-President Frans Timmermans on Friday.
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The EC plan will also be discussed by Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Industry and Trade Karel Havlíček, Minister of the Environment Richard Brabec and other ministers. “We will, of course, take a position on this, and accordingly, the government will approve the mandate of all ministers for councils, where it will be discussed,” Babiš said.
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According to the presented plan, carmakers could continue to produce cars with petrol or diesel engines, but they would have to pay fines for exceeding zero limits when selling them in Europe. These fines would, of course, be reflected in the prices of these cars – they would be significantly more expensive.
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Timmermans said that according to some estimates, electric cars will become cheaper than conventional cars in this decade due to the growing load on fossil fuels and the promotion of electric cars. “Even after new cars with internal combustion engines are no longer produced, we have a very long time to stay with us,” he said, alluding to the fact that the operation of previously manufactured cars may not end in the middle of the century.
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