BRUSSELS (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 16th July, 2021) While the European Commission's Green Deal proposal lists a ban on the sale of new petrol, diesel and hybrid cars from 2035, experts tell Sputnik that such a move can lead to large-scale public dismay due to the lack of necessary infrastructure to opt for the sole electric car, as well as an inevitable spike in electricity prices.
The European Commission on Wednesday presented in detail its plan entailing a 55% reduction in greenhouse gases by 2030 and total zero emissions by 2050. To achieve these goals, the strategy proposes a set of bloc-wide measures, including the world's first carbon border tax on steel, cement, and other goods in 2026; the use of renewable sources for 40% of the bloc's energy production; and a ban on combustion engines for cars by 2035, among others.
Before entering into force, the commission's latest blueprint on ecological transition has yet to be discussed in the European Parliament. The proposals will have to be approved by the heads of state and government of the Council of Europe.
Meanwhile, media report that French President Emmanuel Macron, who has recently announced a 17 billion euro ($20 billion) investment in key technologies for the automotive industry, considers the proposed ban on combustion engines too drastic. The country wants hybrid vehicles to remain on the market for longer.
According to experts surveyed by Sputnik, the transition proposed by the commission may make everyday life more expensive and faces a number of obstacles.
One of them is the lack of infrastructure to ensure the operation of a fleet of electric vehicles, according to Samuele Furfari, a former top energy official at the European Commission and professor of energy geopolitics at ULB university in Brussels.
"There are hardly any fast-charging stations in Europe. The European Commission wants a charging station every 150 km [93 miles] on motorways. Very large copper power cables will have to be installed everywhere, as well as very large charging stations. The price of copper will skyrocket because we will have to open new mines. The problem is not the delivery of electricity in quantity but the power on delivery. The electricity demand will explode and its cost will increase dramatically," Furfari explained.
Damien Ernst, professor of electromechanical sciences at ULiège university in Belgium, shared Furfari's assumption that all electric consumers will have to pay a colossal investment in electrical networks, adding that the only way forward is the development of nuclear energy, something that contradicts the commission's proposals favoring alternative sources.
"Electric cars are large emitters of CO2, due to the heavy emissions during battery production. With the most optimistic set of assumptions, an electric vehicle with a battery of 80 kWh would begin to have a lower carbon footprint than a petrol-driven vehicle somewhere between 67,226 km and 151,259 km traveled. So, the electric car is excellent against air pollution with NOX [nitrogen oxides] and micro-particles but not really for the CO2 reduction objective," Ernst said.
In addition, European governments are wary that the commission's plans might start a popular rebellion against such measures, similar to the yellow vests protests that hit France in 2018 against a state-backed tax on fuels, Furfari noted.
"The taxpayer revolt could be huge. The electric car costs significantly more than a combustion engine car. It is subsidized in Europe today to the tune of 10,000 Euros per vehicle. European member states will not be able to maintain these subsidies if everyone must go electric. If this substantial aid is suppressed and the electric car made mandatory with the high cost involved, the taxpayers' revolt will be worse than the 'yellow vests' rebellion," the expert explained.
The European Green Deal is still subject to a debate in the bloc, so the draft could very well be amended.
