European Institutions have adopted and is planning quite a few directives against climate change. It is providing significant incentives for actions such as:
Promoting wind turbines, which has the potential of reducing global GHG emissions by roughly 3%.
Developing biofuels, which has the potential of reducing global GHG emissions by less than 1%.
Limiting average cars emissions from 160g to 120g
CO2 per km, which will reduce global GHG emissions by roughly 1%.
Banning incandescent light bulbs, which has the potential of reducing global GHG emissions by roughly 1%.
While these actions do reduce greenhouse gas emissions,
they have hardly no impact on urban pollution and oil dependency - and none on urban noise. Also, many carry negative side effects on the environment.
On the other hand, Electric Vehicles (EVs, including BEVs, EREVs and FCVs), which are now becoming commercially available and
have the potential of making a significant contribution
toward solving
urban pollution, energy, and climate change problems,
receive little support from the European Union and many member states.
However, since EVs are produced in low volumes, they are currently quite more expensive than conventional Internal Combustion Vehicles. Hence they badly need incentives to start spreading, in the form of advantages for EV drivers and subsidies to EV research, production and acquisition, until high production volumes make them intrinsically competitive.
Finally, Europe is not the leader in this field. The only EVs commercialised worldwide are the Indian REVA (heavy quadricycle) and the US Tesla Roadster. The main automotive lithium-ion battery producers are Japanese, Chinese and American. Europe must make a significant effort if it does not want to become the laggard in this technology of the future.
Whether we want it or not, EVs are arriving, notably through Renault, small manufacturers, and several Asian and American manufacturers.
Major car manufacturers that do not adapt fast enough face the risk of loosing their competiveness and becoming extinct like dinosaurs.
Only Europe is imposing tighter regulations on combustion cars – Asia and the Americas are not. Hence only European manufacturers must keep investing in improving combustion engines – a technology soon to be obsolete. While Asian and American manufacturers can – and are encouraged to – fully invest in the future: EV technologies.
Therefore, to help major European car manufacturers in their transition to EVs and enable them to remain competitive in the future, European Institution should release the pressure on combustion cars and help manufacturers concentrate on becoming leaders in EV technologies.
Otherwise, Europe faces the risk of loosing most of its car manufacturing industry.
