The Spanish government has made a clear commitment to electric vehicles and continues to do so. After approving an unprecedented road trip for the automobile industry in Europe last week, with concrete measures and new funds for the sector, the executive director, Pedro Sánchez, sent a letter last July to the President of the European Commission, Ursula Von der Leyen, to keep the sector’s emissions targets firm. facing 2035. This means that Spain does not want to move the ban on the sale of combustion vehicles, approved only two years ago, which could possibly be modified until 2040, thus delaying the total electrification of sales in the EU.
“Spain wants to emphasize the importance of maintaining the current level of ambition, especially as the market becomes more and more popular with electrified vehicles as the most efficient and competitive option,” indicated the president, who recalled that in March the Commission relaxed the emissions standard that came into force this year: it was expected that in 2025, those who do not comply with the CAFE regulations, which tighten the limit of CO2 emissions per kilometer for new registrations, would have to pay fines. Finally, there will be no sanctions before 2027.
“The current additional cuts are at risk and could delay investments in modernization, linked to a temporary slowdown in demand for electric cars, which would have a direct impact on the future competitiveness of the European automotive industry and its suppliers, thus increasing the likelihood of losses and losses of jobs in the EU. Therefore, we reject that fuel vehicles and other technologies without demonstrated efficiency can continue to be marketed until 2035”, added the president.
This directly clashes with the position of ACEA, the European employer supporting the sector, which is spending months negotiating with Brussels on emissions reduction targets, which in addition to delaying the ban on the sale of fuel-powered cars, would also include other initiatives such as CO2 credits for the emptying of old cars, of which part of the tram registrations have been replaced by coaches with alternative fuels, making the sale of small electric coaches much lower in the calculation of brands’ overall emissions. The president of Anfac, the national employer of coach manufacturers, Josep Maria Recasens, indicated this week that in conversations with Europe, aspects such as the local component of the vehicles sold were also included, to encourage marketed vehicles to arrive in Europe.
In the letter, Sánchez also advocates for the electrification of company fleets, an axis in which Portugal has invested, a country with a lower per capita income than Spain and which has nevertheless managed to catapult its share of tram sales. “It is a source of pride and great satisfaction. Spain demonstrates that it has a clear vision of zero emissions and raises its voice to defend the electrification of rail transport. Showing firmness before 2035 and defending the electrification of fleets, our country is demonstrating additional solidarity with the rest of Europe to transform us into hub of electromobility, defending the strength of our strategic autonomy”, indicated the director of Transport & Environment Spain, Isabell Buschel. This association is present in the negotiations between the sector and the Commission.
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