The change in the industrial sector
The European car industry will, as a result, be affected by an enormous change.
The shift to electric could cost European companies, historically leaders in combustion engines, their competitiveness, drastically altering the global balance of power in the private and commercial car sector. A race for innovation has therefore begun, in which new automotive manufacturers could also overtake and overwhelm European companies that have historically led the sector, with very significant social repercussions in the world of work.
2026. An important date
In 2026 the European Commission will assess the objectives achieved, on the basis of which further decisions may be taken between 2035 and 2040.
Another variable is that the major European manufacturers are putting forward proposals that supplement or offer alternatives to electric alone. For example, the use of ‘special’ combustion engines powered by biofuels or e-fuels. The scenario is therefore open.
2035. A deadline for everyone, but with one exception.
Another variable. The EU has chosen to allow niche car manufacturers, that is, those with a production of fewer than 10,000 units a year, to continue producing after 2035.
This provision applies to manufacturers that have requested exemption from European legislation on compliance with car pollutant emissions.
But is the electric car the real solution?
There are also those who warn against thinking that choosing the electric car is a cure-all for the ills of contemporary mobility.
One of them is Matteo Dondè, architect and urban planner and expert in sustainable mobility. In a recent interview with the website Open.online, the expert, while commenting positively on the EU’s decision, reminds us that “electric still has many pollution problems, starting with batteries, which have to be produced and disposed of. Not to mention that electric cars do not solve the problem of particulate matter in the air, which in cities derives largely from the wear of brake pads and tyres.
Electric cars are not the solution for sustainable mobility.”
According to Dondé and others with him, the real challenge is to reduce vehicle pressure. In Italy, Dondé points out, cities are ‘crammed with parked cars’. “In Milan, which in this respect is the most virtuous city in the country, we see 54 cars for every 100 inhabitants, while in other large European cities it is less than half that.”
Moreover, again according to the expert, it will be essential for Italian cities, following the example of European capitals such as Paris and Brussels, to adopt the ‘30 zone’ across the whole urban area. A measure that, besides ensuring safety for other road users, will noticeably reduce the polluting impact of vehicles.
Milan recently announced its intention to implement it from 2024, although Mayor Sala later put the brakes on with a clarification. We shall see.
UPDATE:
MARCH 2023: The final vote on the 2035 stop to combustion engines has been postponed to a date to be determined.
