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Europe’s car industry must look to the future, not the past
(EurActiv, 19 Dec 2022) Most European car makers have already declared that they will go full electric by 2035, some of them sooner. The EU’s task is to get ready for this transformation, writes Frans Timmermans.
Frans Timmermans is the European Commission’s vice-president in charge of the Green Deal.
When driving forward to regain your purpose, focus must hold the wheel or you will miss the road. This paraphrase of the Ghanese author Israelmore Ayivor perfectly describes today’s car industry in Europe.
There can be no doubt as to where our road is leading. As of 2035, all new cars in the European Union will be zero-emission.
It is a date that makes sense. With the European Union’s legal commitment to become climate neutral, nearly all cars on our roads will need to be zero emission by 2050.
Considering the average lifetime of cars, 2035 is the right date. Besides, most European car makers have already declared that they will go full electric by then, and many will do so much sooner. Daimler, the inventor of the combustion engine, will go full-electric by the end of this decade.
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EurActiv, 19 Dec 2022: Europe’s car industry must look to the future, not the past
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