The European Union’s (EU) ambition of prohibiting the sale of new petrol vehicles by 2035 may need re-evaluation, according to the EU’s external auditor. Despite striving towards a net zero emission goal by 2050, the EU must address the unaffordability of electric vehicles (EVs) and the lack of credible alternate fuel options. Road transport is responsible for nearly a quarter of the bloc’s emissions, therefore it is key to their efforts to balance carbon dioxide levels through programs such as reforestation.
To reach this 2050 objective, the EU hopes to deploy around 30 million zero-emission vehicles across European roads by 2030, which is roughly 12% of its existing car fleet. However, the European Court of Auditors has expressed concerns over potential economic dependencies that may be created, as well as the impact on local industries.
Current high production costs of EVs within Europe suggests an over-reliance on cheaper imports, notably from China, in order to achieve the 2035 goal. Presently, 76% of global EV battery production occurs in China, with the EU contributing under 10%.
“The EU is confronted with a dilemma on how to reach its environmental targets without negatively impacting its industrial sectors and consumers,” noted Annemie Turtelboom, a European Court of Auditors member. She highlighted that 2026 will be significant for reviewing these policies.
Despite Tesla leading the EV industry within the US and Europe, competition from China has led to pressure to reduce prices. Similarly, European automakers such as Stellantis, owner of Peugeot and Fiat, and Renault are working towards producing cost-effective EV models.
Although there has been an increase in EV sales within the EU, this is largely due to subsidies. Moreover, charging infrastructure remains inadequate with 70% of charging points located in Germany, France and the Netherlands. The EU’s objective to establish one million charging points across the bloc has not been attained.
“EV prices must be reduced by half and subsidies aren’t appearing to be an efficient solution… In Europe alone, batteries cost €15,000 to produce,” elaborated Ms Turtelboom to the press.
Presently, alternate fuels such as biofuels, e-fuels, or hydrogen are not cost-effective at a commercial level.
The European Union’s 2050 carbon goal faces significant challenges, as highlighted by the court’s findings that genuine carbon dioxide emissions from vehicles have not been curbed, despite the introduction of new testing standards and initiatives like Euro 6. In a report issued in January, the European Court of Auditors ascribed the discrepancy to the variance between laboratory and on-road emission tests. It was observed by the Commission that laboratory tests, which presented a distorted version, were relied upon.
In actuality, the mean emissions from diesel vehicles remain the same as in 2010, emitting 170 grams of carbon dioxide per kilometre. Petrol cars, on the other hand, have only reduced their emissions by 4.6% and still emit over 160g carbon dioxide per kilometre. Nikolaos Milionis, a member of the European Court of Auditors, noted in an announcement that, in spite of lofty goals and stringent regulations, most mainstream cars still emit the same amount of carbon dioxide as they did a dozen years prior. Increased average vehicle weight was noted as contributing to this problem. The information is according to Reuters.