The European Union currently has a ban on the sales of new combustion vehicles set to take effect in 2035, but reaching net-zero carbon emissions is going to be a tall order because the folks on the continent are not embracing EVs.
Even Switzerland, home to climate change crusader Greta Thunberg, has joined with other EU nations in dropping the tax incentives to potential EV buyers, claiming that EVs have reached a “parity” in price with gas guzzlers.
However, according to Barron’s, a decent luxury combustion vehicle can be had for 35,000 euros. That same amount of money will only purchase the bottom basement EV.
In the past year, sales of EVs have fallen to 12% of the European automotive sales market, down from a peak of only 14%.
According to The Telegraph, while EV sales in China have soared over 90%, Volkswagen, Audi and Mercedes-Benz all report EV sales in Europe being down 3% to 8%; meanwhile sales of gasoline vehicles have grown by 9%. Toyota has already signaled it won’t even try to sell EVs in Europe any longer, and the other majors are likely to follow suit.
There are many reasons for this, and they start with the car culture of our friends across the pond.
Unlike the United States, where having a car means a family can travel long-distances like the Griswolds on vacation, places such as Ireland and England have more clustered communities that are only a few miles apart. So, even those who do own a car only need it for short hops.
Throughout most of American automotive history, cars were purchased as either a status symbol or a reflection of one’s personality. That is not true in Europe, where the car has always been viewed as a utilitarian tool.
In fact, when Mercedes really broke into the American market in the late 1970s and early 1980s, many Germans laughed that Americans thought vehicles that were used as taxi-cabs in Deutschland, were considered high luxury.
Europeans generally will keep a car until the doors fall off, like they would any other appliance; as opposed to Americans who like to “trade-up” with new model years. Even with a looming ban, Europeans are not snapping up EVs any more than they would buy a new microwave when the one they have works perfectly fine.
According to HotCars, because modern European roads are largely built in cities that are hundreds of years old, the roadways are extremely narrow, and finding a parking spot can be difficult and costly. Many Europeans, especially those living in the cities, never own a car in their lifetimes, since public transportation is far cheaper and more convenient than owning a personal vehicle.
Gas prices have historically been higher in Europe due to heavy fuel taxes, and that means that Europeans have traditionally driven small, fuel-sipping vehicles.
Countries such as Sweden, Austria, Italy, Norway and Finland have mountainous areas and frigid winters, a combination that makes owning an EV for any reason other than to please Greta Thunberg and the climate change crowd is impractical.
While 2035 may seem like a long way off, according to Barron’s, it is a short time when it comes to the production cycles of automobiles; therefore, the EU may have to totally rethink its net-zero emissions policy.
It is true that EV sales are off-the-chart in China, but that is a totalitarian regime where people purchase what the government tells them they can purchase, and they are apparently pleased with that system. Europeans, like us Americans prefer not being told what to buy or what to drive.
The EU might be able to tell people what kind of car they can drive, but they don’t have the power to tell the automotive manufacturers what to build.
Scott Hudson is the Senior Investigative Reporter and Editorial Page Editor for The Augusta Press. Reach him at scott@theaugustapress.com
