Living with synthetic fuels
Historically, both countries have been involved in fierce confrontations, such as the two world wars that devastated Europe in the first half of the 20th century. Later, they joined forces to rebuild the continent and, now, they go hand in hand again with another purpose: Germany and France form an alliance so that the electric car does not end with combustion engines.
The European Commission wants that, from 2035, stop manufacturing vehicles with combustion engines. From that date, all new cars should be electric.
And, although at first it seemed that everyone was in agreement, in recent times important dissenting voices have emerged. Some are realizing that setting the pace towards full electric mobility by 2035 may not be a good idea. People like the German transport minister, Volker Wissing, and manufacturers like BMW.
Short-term problems
The problem with projecting such long-term plans, such as banning combustion engines in 2035, is that, during that time, things happen along the way, such as the Covid-19 pandemic, which has turned the fuel industry upside down. automobile: serve as an example, the semiconductor crisis.
But, if that wasn’t enough, for several months we have been witnessing an escalation in energy prices, now enhanced by the situation in Ukraine, due to the war with Russia.
The most desired electric cars in 2022
All these factors make it necessary to modify the initially established roadmap and means that what seemed viable two or three years ago is not so much so now.
Related to this, another problem that the automotive industry is facing is the spectacular rise in the price of lithium, the main raw material for making electric cars. The price of this precious metal has shot up 500% and is five times more expensive than in 2021.
This makes the cost of vehicles rise even more, preventing the democratization of the electric car and making it more accessible to everyone.
Germany and France do not want to do away with combustion engines
France, whose automobile industry is betting heavily on electrification, wants the ban on internal combustion engines to be delayed until 2040, while Germany, and other countries like Italy, directly ask that it not be banned, but that they coexist with electrified motors.
And, in this sense, something in which the German industry is investing a lot becomes very important: synthetic fuels. Brands like Porsche are working on the development of these ecological fuels, which could help to significantly reduce emissions into the atmosphere.
What Germany wants is to continue developing electric motors, but not to stop producing thermal ones, since with the new synthetic fuels CO2 emissions can be greatly reduced and, furthermore, these motors will continue to be necessary for certain types of vehicles.
Jobs in danger
That Germany does not want to stop producing internal combustion engines has a very simple explanation: the weight of the automotive industry in that country is enormous and the loss of employment would be clear, as some German manufacturers and unions have already warned.
And we are not only talking about direct job losses in the plants where the cars are manufactured, but also in hundreds of auxiliary companies that provide materials to the brands.
It is not yet clear if the transition from traditional to electric cars is going to destroy more jobs than it is going to create and what will happen to all those people who currently work in the sector and if they could continue working after 2035 manufacturing only battery-powered vehicles. .