With European EV sales and production lagging behind in comparison, there has been a blame game between carmakers and policymakers. “A regulatory framework that ignores customer needs and market realities – and at the same time, is unable to create the necessary conditions for alternative technologies – cannot succeed,” a BMW spokesperson said in a written statement to WIRED. ” For 2035 ban. It added that unless attention was paid to “charging infrastructure, availability of renewable energy and access to raw materials”, the ban would shrink “the entire vehicle market”.
Given that the car industry provides employment 13.8 million people Across Europe and representing about 7 percent of the continent's GDP, such a contraction would be economically devastating.
Low car sales have already prompted Volkswagen to announce closure plans at least three factoriesConcern spread in Germany about the country's economic outlook. The far-right political party Alternative für Deutschland (AfD), which is currently second place in the election Ahead of Germany's snap general elections in February 2025, it does not support a combustion engine ban and has made the perceived economic costs of environmental policies a key part of its messaging.
“Let's say it clearly—consumers don't believe in e-mobility,” says Beatrix Keim, director of e-mobility. CAR Center for Automotive Research“Vehicles are considered very expensive, people are concerned about battery safety, and also concerned about charging costs.” He believes both politicians and industry have a role to play in changing this, through subsidies and investment in infrastructure such as charging solutions, and also by creating cheaper vehicles. “This could be strategic pricing, discounts, rebates or price cuts – which of course need to be balanced with financial gain,” she says. “But overall, they [both] There is a need to better explain e-mobility to the public and dispel some myths such as battery safety.
In an effort to keep their factories and technologies alive, some European car makers have introduced the idea of ”clean” fuels as a means of continuing to sell combustion engine cars beyond the 2035 deadline. Germany has been at the forefront in this matter. Successful election campaign in 2023 Vehicles running on “e-fuel” will be exempted from the ban. E-fuels, which are still in the research and development stage, are made from a combination of hydrogen and carbon dioxide and, according to their proponents, release significantly fewer emissions than petrol.
However, not all industry experts are convinced. “E-fuels are complete nonsense,” claims Peter Mock, Europe managing director of the International Council on Clean Transport. “The efficiency of those fuels is terrible, which means prices are very high – and they will remain high.” Furthermore, he believes talk of alternative fuels is confusing to consumers – which could further hurt EV sales. “EVs are the most efficient, cheapest and most convenient mode of transportation and we need to communicate that,” he claims.
Of course, the 2035 ban will only apply to EU countries, while the continent's carmakers will continue to sell globally. One solution could be a pivot to US markets, where predictions of EV sales are up during a Trump presidency already being cut,