Powertrain | Diesel International 2022-09

AUTOMOTIVE
#INTERNALCOMBUSTIONENGINES #DECARBONIZATION #EUROPEANUNION
“FIT FOR 55” BY EU
FIT
0R
UNFIT?
“Fit for 55” refers to the EU’s target of reducing net
greenhouse gas emissions by at least 55% by 2030 .
On the 8 th of June, the plenary
session of the European Parliament
in Strasbourg approved
the “Fit for 55” plan. Besieged
by cross-party alliances involving even
the sovereignists of the ID group where
Marine Le Pen and the German AFD sit,
the “Fit for 55” initiative was rejected on
practically every point: from the carbon
tax to green ETS credits. While the entire
“Fit for 55” was returned to the European
Parliament’s Environment Commission,
a jolt of unanimity amongst the Members
of the European Parliament led to
the approval of a ban, entering into force
in 2035, on the sale of cars and light vehicles
(up to 3.5 tonnes of total mass)
whose engines emit greenhouse gases
(CO 2
). The only ones to be pardoned are
those manufacturers of series of vehicles
that make less than a thousand units/year.
A defeat first and foremost for ACEA,
the Association of European Automobile
Manufacturers, which has survived
months of capillary lobbying to mitigate
the impact of “Fit for 55” on the European
automotive world. It is no coincidence
that, within a short time, Stellantis’ CEO
Carlos Tavares announced the exit of the
Franco-Italian-American group from the
association led in recent times first by
Sergio Marchionne and then by Philippe
Varin, CEO of PSA Peugeot Citroën.
In a very British style, far from Mar-
European Parliament
approved “Fit for 55”
plan. After 2035, no
ICE will be produced
anymore
chionne’s invectives, Tavares clarified:
“The environmental challenges ahead of
us, together with a rapidly changing economic
environment, require an efficient,
global and inclusive all-round approach
involving all those who wish to contribute
to the construction of a sustainable
mobility. Access to clean, safe and affordable
mobility for citizens around the
world is at stake.” The fact that Tavares,
together with another “big” like Akio
Toyoda, has little faith in the feasibility
of an “all-electric” future is nothing new.
And someone, again on a global level,
points out how the harmony between
the first (Toyota) and fifth (Stellantis)
world car manufacturers with regards to
the future of sustainable mobility puts
the Franco-German axis created by the
Renault-Nissan and Volkswagen groups
(number three and two respectively) in a
difficult position, since they count on the
economic incentives promised by the
governments of Paris and Berlin; neutral
on this issue is Hyundai-Kia (number
four), drawing its strength from the experience
accumulated in China. Tavares’
“free hands” choice has a motivation
that highlights his skills as a pragmatic
manager. If the Greens are celebrating
the “Stop in 2035”, the chaos staged
in Strasbourg on the 8 th of June and –
above all – the implosion on “Fit for 55”
of the majority, that has so far supported
the Commission in the European Parliament,
represents a golden opportunity
for Stellantis’ CEO in view of the second
half of the game, the opening of which
is scheduled for the 28th of June, with
the EU Council of Environment (we
are writing a few days before this date,
editor’s note). The hypothesis is that the
meshes of the EU project will widen,
lowering the expected reduction in CO 2
emissions from 100 to 90 percent, an objective
that is not impossible for internal
combustion engines already in the Euro7
version. However, in the EU buildings,
many politicians and officials seem to
ignore two key facts. The first one is that
only 12 percent of CO 2
emissions in the
whole EU comes from cars. No one, in
fact, has contradicted the well-known
study according to which, on an annual
basis, the cruise ships anchored with
their generators running at the harbour
of Barcelona pollute as much as the entire
European car fleet. In terms of global
impact on the planet, then, the 2021
registration figures show that the 16.8
million new vehicles in the European
area represent only 20 percent of the
world figure, which sees Asia in the lead
with 42.6 million vehicles, where China
stands out with its 26.2 million cars.
Eliminating EU emissions, therefore,
risks to be more of an exercise in style
rather than an advantage for the environment.
Without forgetting the problem of
raw materials, as Andrea Boitani, Professor
in Transport Economics at the Catholic
University of Milan, pointed out:
“The Chinese have been quicker, and as
for rare earth elements, especially lithium
(essential for batteries), they have
already signed exclusive and advantageous
agreements with the governments
of their producer countries, mostly in Africa.”
If it is true that “failure is simply
the opportunity to begin again, but this
time more intelligently”, as Henry Ford
loved repeating, perhaps the Strasbourg
disaster could be a new beginning for the
European automotive industry.
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