Europe wanted to lead the world on EVs. His Carmakers can’t keep up

With European EV sales and production lagging in comparison, a blame game has ensued between carmakers and policymakers. “A regulatory framework that ignores the needs of customers and the realities of the market – and at the same time, is unable to create the necessary conditions for alternative technologies – cannot succeed,” a BMW spokesman said in a written statement to WIRED, explaining that the company is opposed. to the ban of 2035. He added that unless “the charging infrastructure, the availability of renewable energies and access to raw materials” are not addressed, the ban will cause the “entire market of vehicles” to contract.

Since the automobile industry employs 13.8 million people across Europe and represents about 7 percent of the continent’s GDP, such a contraction would be economically disastrous.

Low car sales have already prompted Volkswagen to announce plans to close at least three factoriesraising anxiety in Germany about the country’s economic outlook. The far-right political party Alternative für Deutschland (AfD), which is currently second in the polls ahead of Germany’s general election in February 2025, he does not support a ban on combustion engines and has made the perceived economic cost of environmental policies a key part of his messaging.

“Let’s be clear – consumers don’t believe in e-mobility,” says Beatrix Keim, director of CAR Center for Automotive Research. “Vehicles are perceived as too expensive, people are concerned about battery safety, and also concerned about charging costs.” She believes that politicians and industry have a role to play in changing this, both through subsidies and investments in infrastructure such as charging solutions, and also through the creation of cheaper vehicles. “It could be a tactical price, discounts, discounts, or just cut prices altogether – which of course has to be balanced with financial profits,” he says. “But in general, (both) need to make the public better understand e-mobility and dispel some of the myths, such as battery safety.”

In an attempt to keep their factories and technologies alive, some European manufacturers have floated the idea of ​​”clean” fuels as a means to continue selling combustion engine cars after the 2035 deadline. Germany has been at the forefront of this, campaigns successfully in 2023 for vehicles running on “e-fuels” to be exempted from the ban. E-fuels, which are still in the research and development stage, are made from combinations of hydrogen and carbon dioxide and, according to their proponents, release significantly less gasoline emissions.

However, not all industry experts are convinced. “E-fuels are complete nonsense,” says Peter Mock, director general for Europe of the International Clean Transport Council. “The efficiency of those fuels is terrible, which means that prices are very high – and will remain high.” On top of that, I believe that talking about alternative fuels is confusing for consumers – which could also hurt EV sales. “EVs are simply the most efficient, cheapest and most convenient means of transportation, and we need to communicate that,” he says.

Of course, the 2035 ban will only apply to the countries of the European Union, while cars from the continent will continue to be sold around the world. A solution could be a pivot to the American markets, where the forecasts for EV sales throughout the Trump presidency are be already cut.