Volvo, Zunder and Wallbox join 47 companies calling for an end to the use of heat engines by 2035.
European car manufacturers are in a critical situation and are being forced to develop zero-emission products for a population that does not want to buy them. The first major appointment will come at the end of 2025, when Brussels’ CO2 emissions limits are tightened. If they do not reach 93.6 grams per kilometer on average (this varies from case to case), brands face fines that could exceed €12 billion in total.
For this reason, these companies and their lobby, the European Automobile Manufacturers Association (ACEA, its acronym in French), have expressed their opposition to the environmental targets set by the EU, arguing that they would jeopardize continental industry.
However, this does not apply to everyone. CEOs of Volvo Car, Iberdrola, Uber and 47 other companies, including eight Spanish ones, have asked the European Union not to renew its zero-emissions target for cars and vans in 2035, according to Europa Press.
In a statement released by the European Federation for Transport and Environment (T&E), executives across the automotive, cleantech, transport and energy value chain, including leasing company Ayvens, confirm that the EU target is “feasible and necessary.”
“Goal 2035 provides a clear direction that will allow us as businesses, along with all other stakeholders, to focus on driving the transformation we need,” leaders say in a statement called Industryfor2035.org. “It also provides much-needed investment certainty for the future of the automotive industry in Europe,” they add.
The statement was also signed by electric vehicle manufacturers Polestar and Rivian, as well as British retailer Tesco and Ikea’s largest franchisee Ingka. In Spain, in addition to the electricity company Iberdrola, seven other Spanish companies, such as Zunder, Wallbox or Circontrol, joined the statement.
The signatories say they are firmly committed to the EU’s 2050 climate neutrality target and note that many have made major investments to make it a reality.
“We therefore ask policymakers not to renew the recently approved CO2 emissions standards for cars and vans to 2026 and thus maintain the target of 100% zero-emission vehicles in 2035,” the statement said.
The companies also note that the net-zero emissions target by 2035 received a democratic mandate from EU governments and members of the European Parliament in March 2023.
And they advocate that, rather than renewing already agreed legislation, efforts should be focused on implementing what has already been agreed as targeted industrial policy and investment support for a sustainable local battery value chain, charging rollout and clean electricity supply. greening the corporate fleet and retraining workers for the electrification of the economy.
In this sense, the document recalls that emissions from cars and vans account for more than one-eighth (13%) of total greenhouse gas emissions in the EU. CO2 emissions from automobiles increased by 6% between 2000 and 2019.
“Changing the 2035 target would mean destabilizing the framework on which companies plan their investments. Instead, we must support the transition with a roadmap for the promotion of electric vehicles in Spain, focused on accelerating the charging infrastructure and stimulating demand through faster electrification of vehicle fleets,” says T&E Spain director Isabelle Buechel.