2023-08-16 06:00:34
Find all the episodes of the series “The long march of the electric car” here.
On June 8, 2022, just before entering the plenary session of the Parliament meeting in Strasbourg, MEPs received a message from Stellantis by email. The automotive group declares that it supports “the objective of reducing CO2 emissions by 100% by 2035”, despite the recurring criticism from his boss, Carlos Tavares, who never ceased to denounce “a political and not an industrial choice”.
The text, which will be adopted by a large majority (339 votes for, 249 against) is historic on two counts: it bans heat engines on new cars by 2035 and imposes this major change in the name of a political will . To the chagrin of the sector, it is neither the invisible hand of the market nor the builders but the European institutions that are leading the main industry of the Old Continent on the path to electricity, in the name of environmental protection.
Stellantis knows that the balance of power forces him to keep a low profile. “The impact of this message was not decisive, but it undoubtedly swayed ten to fifteen French and Italian deputies, amplifying the majority character of the ballot in a non-negligible way”, says Pascal Canfin (Renew, Liberals), the French president of the Parliament’s environment committee.
To cut off the ignition of the more than a century-old gasoline engine, the European Union (EU) did not have to resort to a showdown. She preferred to carry out a clever strategy of encirclement around brands paralyzed by the “dieselgate” scandal in September 2015. It is an understatement to say that this affair, which broke out following the discovery of software allowing diesel cars from the Volkswagen group to circumvent nitrogen oxide (NOx) emission standards, has had devastating effects.
At the time, the sudden slump in sales of diesels, vehicles that pollute more but emit less CO² than models running on gasoline, put manufacturers, now unable to meet pollution standards, in a weak position. Their speech becomes inaudible. “The loss of confidence with the regulatory authorities has been total, remembers the representative of one of them. Marginalized, we watched the trains go by. »
Delay the deadline
With the adoption, in 2019, of the principle of carbon neutrality in 2050, the noose is tightening. To calculate engine consumption, Europe imposes the so-called “WLTP” procedure, much closer to the reality of driving conditions. Since it will no longer be necessary to emit CO2 by this deadline and the average lifespan of a vehicle is fifteen years, the calculation is quickly made; thermal engines will no longer be able to equip new cars from 2035. The Netherlands or Sweden were calling for 2030; France, Spain and Germany, countries with many car factories, pleaded for 2040. Each has done its part.
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