Political climate obsession has gone way too far with EV ‘mandates’, as the Italian minister implies. Today’s EVs are too expensive and impractical to be a suitable future for private transport.
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Italy’s Transport Minister Matteo Salvini has asked the EU Commission’s Transport Commissioner and his French and German counterparts to review the ban on ICE vehicle sales that is set to go into effect in 2035, reports OilPrice.com.
Salvini told Italian news outlet Ultimore that the proposed ban on the sale of fossil fuel-burning vehicles “makes no economic, environmental or social sense.”
Salvini’s stance on the ICE vehicle sales ban echoes that of carmakers and the European car industry association, ACEA, in the summer of 2021.
At that time, the ACEA was insisting that ICE vehicles still had a vital role to play in the transition to greener energy. Salvini also suggested in September that the Italian public should vote on the issue.
The EU has mandated carmakers reach a 100% cut in CO2 emissions by 2035. But this year, those who believe fossil fuels are necessary even in the energy transition have been emboldened by the energy crunch now squeezing Europe. With electricity prices reaching new highs, some countries are starting to rethink their ambitious EV goals.
Switzerland officials, for example, are considering a ban on electric vehicles—at least for this winter. Switzerland often sees a dropoff in power generation over the winter months, with the majority of it being derived from hydropower, which wanes in the winter.
It typically imports a substantial amount of electricity from its neighbors France and Germany—but France and Germany are facing an energy crisis of their own due to a variety of factors, including Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and France’s nuclear power output declines.
Electric vehicle charging can put additional strain on the electric grid, and so banning the vehicles—while seemingly going against the longer-term green transition plans–seems a natural conclusion.
Full report here.
Tallbloke's Talkshop 
So reality is rearing its ugly head…and none too soon!
A chink of light at the end of the tunnel, or will the EU etc. simply ignore/dismiss this and carry on regardless?
I wrote to my MP on this ban today…
“Sir,
I just wondered whether there is any actual, feasible plan on how the UK’s new ICE car ban that’s scheduled for 2030 is going to happen and deal with the severe consequences, as:
1. Providing the EV battery materials for the UK’s and the corresponding EU’s 2035, and presumably also the rest of the world’s ban, will be a physical impossibility;
2. Batteries will need replacing regularly and for all cars exacerbating the above, ICE fuel tanks very, very rarely, if ever need replacing;
3. The costs of EVs are not coming down any time soon because of (1), and never will, so will be unaffordable to most. Lack of supply also raises prices;
4. The thought that EV charging will be powered by renewables is a pipe dream, and already, EV owners are being asked to not charge during high demand periods, even the possibility/probability of having charge taken from their EVs!;
5. Car manufacturers have no incentive to continue ICE development to maintain supply until these dates, and so improve the technology to reduce emissions, therefore retaining older, higher emissions cars on the roads for much longer;
6. Building out the private charging infrastructure to that extent by that date is just not possible, and for public chargers, there’s still no single standard, and their reliability is poor;
7. For many houses, flats & apartments, etc., charging points are just not an option, and no one wants to sit in queues, in the dark, wet and cold, waiting for a public charger to become available, then have to sit there waiting for it to charge;
8. The removal of ICEs would destroy the petrol/diesel tax revenue stream, leaving a big hole in the coffers, which will have to be filled by EV charging or more road use taxes, making EVs even more expensive;
9. As the market for oil currently supplying petrol and diesel fuels will be substantially impacted, especially if new oil projects are also banned, where is the road surface material, i.e. tarmac, going to come from? After all, EVs still need roads;
Moreover, as raised previously, there is still no evidence to link man’s CO2 emissions to global climate and temperatures, none. It’s a political invention, not reality, so there is no actual ‘climate’ driver for this ICE ban programme.
When will the UK government and parliament’s inhabitants wake up and realise this whole programme is not realistic in any shape or form, and is going to be a nightmare causing untold misery to millions. All realists understand that it practically cannot be achieved, yet Westminster clings on to the fantasy. Isn’t it time to stop and totally and finally abandon this reckless idiocy?
Yours faithfully”
The ban on fossil fuels makes perfect sense in the context that ~60% ish of the Russian government’s funds come from the sale of oil and gas (not least to EU countries – hello Germany). Remove that market and you put a large dent in Russia’s economy.
Reblogged this on Utopia, you are standing in it!.
🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
Fast forward to 2030, and Italy doesn’t implement the ban. Does it leave the EU?
Well, what I don’t “get” is that our Eu car manufactureres , nay, ENGINE manufacturers provide for the whole world market. ( licensed overseas) so if there’s no ICE engines being produced here (in europe) are we going to lay ourselves open to be “poisoning” the rest of the world. Jings munn, the UN and other such bodies spend a fortune on ICE Jap. vehicles – BIG ONES, some are Toys, others too which look similar, but are definetly NOT electric.
Naw I think Reality is Beautiful, Russia sells Hydrocarbons to other parts of the world at OUR expense, and will the EU still be there? Nicola is standing hanging around the street corners, but she’ll be gassed out. Scotland has one of the toughest emmision targets in the world – and we ( THEY = SHE) are failing dismally as per report waffled over in this morning’s nieuws. Good! Anyroad, as the MPs may ask, “what has ‘In Car Entertainment’ got to do with the climate. – I enjoy my DAB podcasts”.
Meantime the Cold and snow hasNOT materialised in N UK, the Metal Heron lookalikes are rusting on their perches and the few catching some windfish are only feeding 15% of the demand, let alone the population: only 6.4 G in the Watt Clan, when will the rest get a supply?
Maybe those slow walking protesters should RUN to create some draught to power the roadside windNills instead of make drivers burn fuel crawling behind them.
[…] Italy’s Transport Minister Asks EU To Stop ICE Vehicle Ban — Tallbloke’s Talkshop […]
Italy makes a lot of small cars, and only small EVs will be even remotely within budget for many, so the minister might be missing a trick 😎
EV too pricey?…
Hmm, just started precipitating this now: so you want to drive home in the dark with sleet snow, Clowns closing the Trunk road as they escape the planet from the Kessock Bridge, and you have to make a 20-30 mile + more obstacles adding at least an hour on a limited Battery charge ? Segs for Vets http://www.segs4vets.org on German tv , minutes ago ( Servus.tv ) showed the latest tech and GM’s interest – mass producing by 2030. fully enclosed versions would be OK. How to I carry my shopping: some heavy tractor & Plough spare parts, daily shop now, no longer weekly – but OH that bargain Toilet rolls – how to carry them? Missouri? by drone ? you kidding, kood seh wipe my rrrrr with it. like the rest ofthe GGB’s city oriented ideas.