The European Union, or EU, aims to ban the sale of conventional fossil fuel-powered cars by 2035, but not everyone supports it. Italians, for example, have spoken out against the move, with the country’s transport minister recently saying it would be “suicide” and that the move would be a “gift to the Chinese”. Italy is home to some iconic car brands such as Ferrari, Lamborghini, Maserati, Fiat and Alfa Romeo.
The European Parliament recently approved rules requiring automakers to ensure a 100% reduction in CO2 emissions from all new cars by 2035. That means automakers won’t actually be able to sell gasoline and diesel-powered vehicles. But the Italians don’t quite agree. “We all care about water, air quality and a cleaner environment … but that doesn’t mean laying off millions of workers and closing thousands of businesses,” said Italian Transport Minister Matteo Salvini. “The ideological fundamentalism of electricity is itself suicide and a gift to China.”
China is the world’s largest auto market and the largest electric vehicle market. While several local brands here have expanded abroad, even Tesla uses its manufacturing hub in Shanghai to export electric vehicles to various markets in Europe.
Italy wants more time to ensure that the industry and the market can adapt better and more efficiently to electric vehicles. Sales of electric vehicles in the country will fall by about 27% by 2022, according to the auto association ANFIA, while such vehicles account for only about 4% of all new car registrations. Overall car sales have also been falling, with Italy falling out of the top 10 of the world’s largest car markets.
First published date: Feb 18, 2023 at 19:58 PM CST
https://auto.hindustantimes.com/auto/electric-vehicles/gift-to-chinese-why-italians-are-opposing-eu-plan-to-ban-fossil-fuel-cars-41676626093008.html