The real story of the electric car: Beware of high voltage!

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Of course, sometimes evil reigns in car manufacturers’ boardrooms. But the temptation was probably too great. Gaining momentum in the new millennium, the climate lobby pushed for increasingly stringent emissions limits, pushing the boundaries of what was technically possible at the time. To save costs (ultimately for customers too) the exhaust side has been tricked out as much as possible. At first it was in a gray area, then it became openly criminal.

The role played by politics and regulatory authorities in this massive fraud that went on for years was never really questioned. In the end, everyone was pleased: the Greens managed to celebrate the tough borders. Customers were happy with cheap cars that consumed relatively little fuel. Manufacturers had their best years. The truth is that government officials were either extremely incompetent or simply turned a blind eye. There can be no other explanation for the fact that millions of vehicles that were not worthy of registration were on the roads at that time.

The diesel crossover has become a template for critics of the automotive industry. By the end of the media tsunami, one of Europe’s key sectors had lost all credibility with EU bodies. To prevent their image from being completely damaged, manufacturers appeared contrite and offered little – quite justified – resistance to the ban on internal combustion engines from 2035.

And to make this sound completely green to ordinary people, electric cars are required to produce zero emissions, regardless of the actual electricity mix; Pure political trickery, not much better morally than your diesel door.

Pointing out possible economic consequences, calling for fair competition between technologies, and even doubting the timely development of renewable energy suppliers and charging networks, experts soon came to be seen as future deniers.

Automakers then tried to outdo each other with more decisive exit plans week after week. Research and development of new internal combustion engine models was largely stopped, and highly skilled engineers retired or were transferred to departments where they were less qualified. The European automobile industry has voluntarily and lemming-like abandoned the safe playground where it had achieved undisputed technological leadership.

E-cars consist of fewer parts; The battery, by far the most expensive component, must be imported from China or South Asia. Therefore, it can be assumed that for some corporate bosses who are somehow attached to their business, the return is more important than the added value of Europe. So we moved into a completely new space with surprising ease. But as it turned out, the need to catch up in terms of software and battery technology was much greater than feared.

The truth is that we cannot continue as before. But for anyone who does not believe in a complete rejection of consumption and individual mobility, the issue is not the absolutism of internal combustion engines or electric cars, but the economically reasonable pace of change. The ecologically positive effects of the electric car are only fully revealed when the electricity comes from truly renewable sources. According to the motto “Producers over consumers,” financing may have a greater ecological impact elsewhere. Unless there is a clear surplus of green electricity, politicians should take an example from China’s much more pragmatic stance, implementing what promises to be a sensible compromise between economic and ecological considerations.

It was also time to address the unpleasant and therefore almost completely ignored issue of battery recycling. Within five years at the latest, electric cars of the first boom generation will be phased out. Here too Europe once again looks extremely naive. Regulatory barriers to battery recycling are so high that it is unlikely the process will be brought to cheaper Asia. In the worst case, a worn-out electric car leaves the EU completely legally as a used car and then ends up in a landfill in Africa.

Eight years after the diesel transition, a hangover is spreading in politics and the automotive industry. Exploding electric car sales figures are over for now. The collapse is not surprising: funding is being reduced across Europe and early adopters have already been served. Today’s customers have no sense of mission; instead they want to drive as logically and cost-effectively as possible. And even the 20,000-franc electric models are very expensive, with a more universal Dacia Sandero costing just over half that.

A tough discount war has begun, in which Europeans have the last chance for now. Chinese manufacturers can produce much cheaper, and many customers find it more interesting to buy an electric car from a shiny electric brand.

Millions of very well-paying jobs are likely to be lost due to loss of industrial value creation. Electro-enthusiastic VW executives Herbert Diess (65) and Markus Duesmann (54, Audi) have already lost their jobs. Stellantis boss Carlos Tavares (65) has made a 180-degree turn, and former electric pioneer and Mercedes CEO Ola Källenius (54) now says: “Mercedes will produce what the customer demands.” A logical sentence that is not always obvious in itself. Following the multi-billion dollar disaster with the BMW i3, BMW boss Oliver Zipse (pictured, 60) has always been a bit of a brake when it comes to electrification and has therefore been extremely frowned upon. Today it is the big winner because internal combustion engines and electric cars can be produced side by side on BMW’s production lines.

The conversion to electricity will slow down, but it’s getting closer. And that’s good. Impending political change in the EU is likely to weaken the ban on internal combustion engines. This could give European manufacturers the time they need to significantly catch up on software applications and battery technology. If this is not successful, much will be at stake in terms of the economy and the social fabric.

In the best scenario, in the natural process of a free market economy, internal combustion engine vehicles and electric vehicles will become so similar in terms of features and price that it will be easier to make the right choice. Just as technological progress was always successful in the past when politics did not get in our way. The progress of global climate will be determined elsewhere anyway.

Source: Blick