Those who set 2035 as the year in which cars with internal combustion engines will no longer circulate were wrong, "they have a distorted vision of the transition and sustainable mobility".
Usually those dealing with these issues are industrialists and politicians. In the EU, however, there is an accounting judiciary that is attentive to the spending trend of member countries and consequently occasionally nitpicks the Commission and Parliament. The statements reported at the beginning come from the European Court of Auditors. It's fine that, once the plenary session of Parliament is over, all the MEPs will go home and "what's done is done" says the proverb. However, the judges made a point of saying that the forecasts for electric cars are wrong. The impact on politics was immediate. A delight for the right which has always opposed the directive on electric cars and a disappointment for those on the left who believed in it.
Travel only by electric within a few years it is too ambitious a goal. A uphill road with "hairpin bends" made of expensive batteries and alternative fuels, dependence on China, poor network of electricity columns, production lines to be adapted. And then the (always metaphorical) ravine of the increase in imports of raw materials for those who want to build electric cars in Europe. The ghost of the Dragon that never stops build it Does it scare accountants more than politicians? It seems so and the European left is paying the price.
Too bold green options
The EU has put battery electric vehicles at the center of its own agenda ambitious policy for a zero-emission car fleet, the judges explained, it is necessary to "reconcile the Green Deal not only with industrial sovereignty, but also with economic accessibility for consumers". We do not think that the concept of industrial sovereignty refers to Giorgia Meloni but simply to the protection of industries and jobs that need more years to remain within a realistic green transition.
Let's start with car's battery performance? “The European battery industry lags behind global competitors, potentially undermining domestic capacity before it is at full capacity,” we write. It will be some time before European manufacturers put cars on the market at competitive prices that meet the demand of motorists. We use i biofuels? To replace petrol and diesel but they are not yet competitive. The technologies are there, they cost too. To produce synthetic fuels you need a lot of water, plants to obtain hydrogen and mix it. Be careful, the current final cost of clean fuel varies between 10 and 20 euros per litre.
Need eliminate emissions by 2050? For now let's keep the objective, but let's think. The things indicated by the Commission are: reducing the carbon produced by internal combustion engine cars, exploring alternative fuel options and encouraging the spread of electric vehicles on the mass market. And here comes the Court's verdict: “The first point has not materialized so far, the second is not sustainable on a large scale and the third risks being costly for both industry and EU consumers”. Yes, the mistake was made.
