Another failed EU policy that has been crumbling is the ‘net zero’ obsession, which wants to ban petrol cars and mandate that all vehicles must be electric in a decade.
The problem is: consumers are not into it.
In fact, the acceptance of EVs is in a sharp downturn, with the largest European market, Germany, having suffered a ‘spectacular’ – perhaps we should call it ‘catastrophic’ – drop in electric car sales.
Now, the European Union faces growing calls to delay its net zero vehicle targets.
Telegraph reported:
“The European Automobile Manufacturers’ Association (ACEA) said sales of new battery-powered electric vehicles (EV) in Germany plunged by nearly 70pc to 27,024 in August. In France, the EU’s second largest market for battery electric vehicles behind Germany, deliveries fell by 33pc to 13,143.
ACEA said ‘the spectacular drop’ in both countries meant that only 92,627 battery electric vehicles were registered across Europe last month, a fall of 43.9pc compared to a year earlier. This drove a wider 18pc drop in new car sales across the EU.”
The collapse in EV sales is not at all surprising if we take into consideration that their range is unacceptably short, their prices are ridiculously high and to top it off there’s no charging infrastructure across the EU to speak of.
“Felipe Munoz, a global automotive analyst at JATO Dynamics, said: ‘The reality is that whether you look at business or private, electric vehicles do not convince yet’.”
British drivers are also unconvinced, as separate data shows that the growth rate of EV sales in the UK has similarly – and dramatically – slowed.
“Mike Hawes, head of the SMMT, said earlier this month: ‘Encouraging a mass market shift to EVs remains a challenge and urgent action must be taken to help buyers overcome affordability issues and concerns about chargepoint provision’.”
We’ve just learned that Volkswagen warned it may have to close a factory in Germany due to slumping sales, with as many as 15,000 jobs at risk.
The out-of-touch European Commission, meanwhile, is preparing to introduce new rules for car and van makers, insisting to ‘slash carbon emissions’ and force-feed the adoption of electric vehicles.
Manufacturers will now be at risk of multi-billion euro fines and are frantically saying that the new rules needed a rethink.
“’We are missing crucial conditions to reach the necessary boost in production and adoption of zero-emission vehicles: charging and hydrogen refilling infrastructure, as well as a competitive manufacturing environment, affordable green energy, purchase and tax incentives, and a secure supply of raw materials, hydrogen and batteries’, the ACEA said.”
Volkswagen, BMW and Renault are suggesting pushing back the targets, while Italy urged the EU to pause its ‘absurd’ plans to ban petrol cars by 2035, lest the insane policy trigger the automotive industry’s collapse.
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