Essay by Eric Worrall
“… the ideological vision has failed. We need to acknowledge that …”
Italy Seeks Reversal of EU’s 2035 Combustion Engine Ban
By Alberto BrambillaSeptember 07, 2024 at 11:45AM EDT
Bloomberg) — Italian officials said the European Union’s plan to ban sales of new internal combustion engines from 2035 should be reviewed.
“The ban must be changed,” Energy Minister Gilberto Pichetto Fratin said on the sidelines of the Ambrosetti Forum in Cernobbio, on the shores of Italy’s Lake Como, on Saturday.
Pichetto Fratin called the decision by the EU “absurd,” and dictated by an “ideological vision” along with a state-controlled approach to policy-making within the bloc. The plan needs changing in order to reflect different market realities amid the European auto industry’s slowdown, he added.
Industry Minister Adolfo Urso also backed a change, urging the incoming European Commission to anticipate the review of the plan to early 2025, from 2026. “In an uncertain landscape which is affecting German automotive industry, clarity is needed to not let the European industry collapse,” Urso said in Cernobbio.
“Europe needs a pragmatic vision, the ideological vision has failed. We need to acknowledge that,” he added.
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Read more: https://www.bnnbloomberg.ca/investing/2024/09/07/italy-wants-reversal-of-eus-planned-2035-combustion-engine-ban/
I don’t know how many people would agree that Italy pretty much invented the prestige automobile industry, but they sure played and continue to play a big part in it. The thought they would give up such beauty, such an exquisite quest for perfection, was always a nightmare perpetrated by joyless left wing green ideologues.
Italian prestige automaker Ferrari was an early mover when it came to rejecting EV mandates. Last year they publicly announced their rejection of EV mandates, and in doing so likely saved themselves from sharing the financial pain of their more gullible competitors, most of whom blindly gambled the future financial viability of their businesses on the promises of politicians.
There are other considerations, aside from the fact a lot of people just don’t want an EV.
Europe claims around 11 million EVs, out of a total vehicle ownership around 250 million. Even if Europe somehow convinced every one of the owners of those 250 million vehicles to swap their ICE vehicle for an EV, that would be a lot of extra demand on a grid which is already struggling to maintain winter energy supplies.
Let’s hope the EU surrenders to necessity sooner rather than later.
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