The European Union is preparing to ratify regulations to achieve zero emissions on the roads as part of the “Adjustment to target 55” plan. On Wednesday May 11, a vote in the European Parliament’s Environment Committee concluded with the validation of the project which will ban thermal cars in 2035. At the beginning of June, the proposal will be brought to a plenary session, before all MEPs.
A deadline too far away for climate defenders
MEPs on the Environment Committee voted 46 votes in favor and 40 votes against in favor of the proposal for a regulation which should put an end to the circulation of thermal vehicles by 2035. A decision which follows the ambitions expressed by the European Commission in the fight against global warming and which had proposed the legislative package “Adjustment to the 55 target” in 2021. The same year, it had contributed to the establishment of a European program on batteries to achieve zero-emission mobility.
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Before being fully approved, the proposal will have to go to plenary in June. The entire European Parliament will then decide the fate of this law. If it is approved, the Parliament and the Council of Europe will have to agree on a common and adapted text for the 27 member countries of the European Union.
The 2035 deadline may seem distant compared to the recommendations of the latest IPCC report in the fight against climate change. According to the report, if nothing is done to drastically reduce emissions in the next three years, there will be no turning back. Conversely, some car manufacturers believe that these deadlines are too short. Carlos Tavares, CEO of Stellantis (Peugeot, Citroen, Fiat, Chrysler), had estimated at the beginning of 2022 that the end of thermal engines for 2035 was “counterproductive” and “we are pushing the industry to its limits”.
Battery production could slow down the democratization of electric cars
Yet many industry players have already begun a significant transition to all-electric. Honda plans to launch 30 electric car models by 2030 and will no longer manufacture thermal cars in 2040. The same ambitions are expressed by the Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi Alliance which will manufacture 35 100% electric vehicles by 2030. Renault and Mercedes-Benz also make this same promise, proof that manufacturers are anticipating environmental protection laws.
Between 2020 and 2021, sales of electric cars have almost doubled in Europe. This represents 2.3 million vehicles in one year, even if more than half are hybrids. The finding is just as encouraging in France where 21.4% of cars sold in March 2022 are electric. For the moment, Tesla dominates the French market in this sector.
However, the challenge of battery production is a brake on the democratization of all-electric. At the beginning of May, the boss of Volvo expressed his concerns about a possible shortage of batteries. In question, the rarity of the materials necessary for their manufacture. The development of more efficient battery recycling methods is necessary for a successful transition.