The decision in favor of e-cars was made long ago, and the change is in full swing. But there are always voices against electrically powered vehicles. Now the CEO of Stellantis, which owns the Opel and Peugeot brands, is venting his anger.
EU destroys creativity: Stellantis boss shoots at e-cars
For Carlos Tavares, head of the Stellantis Group, electric cars and their preferential treatment by the EU are paternalism. With the specifications for the proportion of e-cars and for CO₂ reduction the European Union robs car manufacturers of their creativity. Innovations and alternatives to the electric drive fell by the wayside (source: Handelsblatt).
Add to that that E-cars more expensive to produce be. The price of a purely electric drive is up to 50 percent higher than that of classic combustion engines. This increases the risk that e-cars would become too expensive for the middle class.
This is one of the reasons why Travares is demanding that funding for electric cars must continue at least until 2025. At the same time, however, the manager questions the benefits of e-mobility for the environment: “We won’t know for another 10 or 15 yearswhat results electrification will actually bring in reducing greenhouse gas emissions.”
Tavares leads the standard range of Arguments against electric cars into the field: In addition to the expensive production, primarily due to the supposedly high battery costs, the battery comes with a significant CO₂ balance in the luggage even before the first trip. According to the Stellantis CEO, with the current European electricity mix, e-cars would only have made up for the disadvantage in terms of CO₂ emissions from 70,000 km.
Common misconceptions about e-cars quickly explained:
Tavares also addressed the social consequences in the automotive industry and among suppliers. Experts and studies are by no means unanimous in this regard. In the future, jobs that are closely linked to classic combustion engines could certainly be eliminated. But at the same time it is necessary many new jobs in development and battery manufacturing. Car manufacturers will increasingly need software specialists.
Fear despite success: Opel has the price-performance winner among electric cars
Please note: The call for funding is in your own interest. The brands of the automotive group have, like practically everyone else already started to switch to e-cars. The Opel Corsa-e has just finished second in the best value for money cars of 2021, compiled by ADAC.