Electric cars are slowing down, EU decarbonization is stalling (VIDEO)

The European Court of Auditors questions the ability of the EU countries to completely abandon internal combustion engines by 2035. The controller of European financial policy puts forward at least three compelling arguments, pointing to the “lack of a tangible reduction in CO2 emissions in the EU at the present stage, lack of progress in the transition to alternative sources energy and the market’s significant dependence on the supply of electric batteries.”

A new report from the European Court of Auditors, published on April 22, questions the ability of EU countries to phase out the sale of new internal combustion engine cars from 2035. According to experts, the decision approved in June 2022 to switch to zero-emission vehicles will be difficult to achieve.

The decision to phase out the production of new internal combustion engine cars “risks conflicting with the industrial policies and economic sovereignty of EU member states, as well as creating problems of social and financial acceptability for the population,” the Court of Auditors warned on Monday, after reviewing two years of statistics and surveys.

In other words, experts doubt the European Union’s ability to reduce automobile CO2 emissions without punishing consumers with rising prices for electric vehicles and European industry with additional costs to reorient production toward electric vehicles.

At the same time, the Court of Auditors only highlights the doubts of the leaders of the automotive industry and many European leaders ahead of the upcoming elections to the European Parliament, but does not offer any alternative solutions for the implementation of the plan, which is considered one of the most ambitious components of the European Green Pact. This environmental program should enable Europe to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050.

CO2 emissions have not been reduced over the past 12 years

The European controller noted, first of all, the ineffectiveness of the efforts of EU countries to reduce CO2 emissions from the fleet of internal combustion vehicles (petrol and diesel). Experts literally talk about “failure.”

“Most modern internal combustion vehicles still emit the same amount of CO2 eleven years after the first regulation on this issue came into force,” Nikolaos Milionis, one of the authors of the European Court of Auditors report, explained to the French press.

Failure to introduce alternative fuels

The report names the production of alternative fuels as another “failure”: biofuels, synthetic fuels and hydrogen. According to experts, difficulties in the development of alternative energy arose due to the “lack of an accurate and stable road map to solve the long-term problems of the sector.” In other words, the Accounts Chamber criticizes politicians for planning shortcomings.

Batteries: only 10% of production capacity

Finally, European experts consider the current policy of transition to electric vehicles to be a “failure.” While auditors note that only battery-electric vehicles appear to be a “viable solution,” they question Europe’s battery-electric strategy. The report states that “European battery production is lagging” “despite significant government support.” Today, less than 10% of the world’s production capacity is concentrated in Europe, while China accounts for 76%.

Experts recall the significant dependence of European production on the import of raw materials: Europe imports 87% of raw lithium from Australia, 80% of manganese from South Africa and Gabon, 68% of cobalt from the Democratic Republic of the Congo and 40% of graphite from China.

The above factors, combined with the high cost of electric vehicles and the significant costs that the transition to carbon-free technologies requires from the automotive industry, makes experts doubt the ability of the European Union to implement an ambitious environmental project – to switch to the sale of cars with a zero carbon footprint in the EU from 2035.