Although the world is going full-speed ahead with the electric revolution, a high-ranking member of the Italian government is wary of the rapid switch to electric vehicles (EV).
Our sister publication WapCar Malaysia reported that Italian deputy prime minister Matteo Salvini, who also serves as the country’s transport minister, slammed newly approved European Parliament rules requiring car companies to sell zero-emission vehicles by 2035.
This means banning the sale of brand-new, internal-combustion vehicles in all European Union countries (EU) in 12 years.
“We all care about water, air quality and a cleaner environment, but that does not mean laying off millions of workers and shutting down thousands of businesses,” he said. “The ideological fundamentalism of electricity alone is suicide and a gift to China.”
Salvini is a member of the right-wing Lega Nord party that is opposed to the measure. He noted that the domestic car industry needs more time and funding to make a proper transition.
Italy’s domestic automotive industry employs over 270,000 workers directly or indirectly, while also accounting for more than five percent of the country’s gross domestic product (GDP), according to Italian automotive association ANFIA.
GDP is the standard measurement for goods and services produced in a country and is an indicator of economic health.
Italian foreign minister Antonio Tajani told Italian news outlets that his country would offer its own counterproposal to limit the reduction to 90 percent to give industries a chance to adapt.
EV sales hit record high
The sale of EVs hit a record 10,091,164 units in 2022, some 55 percent higher than in 2021, according to U.S. cleantech publication CleanTechnica.
The top seller was the American-made Tesla Model Y with 771,300 units. However, 14 of the top 20 best-selling EVs were produced by Chinese brands.
China is one of the leading EV manufacturers in the world, handling everything from producing their own battery packs to full EV construction.
Meanwhile, the Philippines has started to bring EVs into the mainstream by providing perks to EV owners under Republic Act 11697 or the “Electric Vehicle Industry Development Act,” which lapsed into law on April 2022.
The measure also provides a framework for infrastructure like EV charging stations, along with non-fiscal incentives like discounted vehicle registration fees and number-coding exemptions until April 2030.
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. also signed an executive order on January 2023 that removed tariffs on imported EVs and spare parts until 2028. This has resulted in lower prices for EVs currently in the market.
Finally, Electric Vehicle Association of the Philippines president Edmund Araga told AutoFun Philippines that the government is working on fiscal incentives that can help make EVs cheaper and easier to buy.
The Department of Trade and Industry is targeting the sale of only brand-new EVs in the Philippines by 2040.
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Source: Do you agree? EU shift to EVs by 2035 ‘suicide, gift to China’ — Italy deputy PM