After the end of combustion engines at EU level from 2035, car experts warn of massive job losses.
“Traditionally, Europe simply has a large infrastructure surrounding combustion engines that has grown over many decades. If in future 17 million electric cars are manufactured in Europe from 2035 instead of 17 million cars with combustion engines, then everyone can calculate that the impact on employment will be greatest here,” said Arnd Franz, CEO of the supplier Mahle, to Automobilwoche. “Europe will only need a fraction of the workforce for battery-electric drives that are currently employed for combustion engine drives.” This transformation process must be mastered, stressed Franz. However, relocating production to low-wage countries cannot be an alternative. “We need an interplay of productivity, use of locations with attractive labor costs, but also the passing on of labor cost increases to the vehicle manufacturers and ultimately to the end consumer,” emphasized Franz, adding: “We assume that cars will become significantly more expensive in the future , especially electric vehicles.”
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