The European Union’s goals for reducing CO2 emissions from vehicles, including a 100% reduction for cars by 2035, are no longer achievable, European associations of car manufacturers and automotive suppliers stated on Wednesday.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen will meet with automotive sector leaders on September 12 to discuss a future in which they face dual threats from Chinese competition in electric vehicles and American tariffs.
In a letter to von der Leyen, Mercedes-Benz CEO Ola Kaellenius and Matthias Zink, CEO for powertrains and chassis at Schaeffler AG, stated that European manufacturers are committed to achieving the EU’s net-zero emissions target by 2050.
However, they noted that EU manufacturers are now facing almost complete dependence on Asia for batteries, as well as uneven charging infrastructure, higher production costs, and American tariffs.
The Union must move away from targets for new vehicles, they asserted, such as a 55% reduction in CO2 emissions compared to 2021 levels for cars and 50% for vans by 2030, and 100% for both by 2035.
Electric cars have a market share of about 15% of new cars in the EU, with vans at 9%.
– Achieving strict CO2 targets for cars and vans for 2030 and 2035 in today’s world is simply no longer feasible – they wrote.
Legal obligations and penalties would not encourage the transition, they stated.
– Electric vehicles will lead, but there must also be room for (plug-in) hybrids, range extenders, highly efficient internal combustion engine vehicles, hydrogen, and decarbonized fuels – the letter states.
CO2 regulations for heavy trucks and buses must also be reconsidered, the two association leaders said.
In March, the Commission agreed to give car manufacturers additional time to meet the CO2 emission reduction targets originally set for 2025.
