With only a few years left until auto manufacturers in Europe are potentially subject to non-compliance fines relating to CO2 fleet emissions reductions goals, the CEO of PSA Groupe has now begun publicly discussing potential loopholes.
The PSA Groupe CEO, Carlos Tavares, of course didn’t use the word “loophole” himself in the recent interview in question, but that’s what his comments amount to a discussion of. The idea being put forward by the exec is that if there isn’t a substantial enough electric vehicle fast-charging network in place by 2020-2021, then fines should be delayed.
The phrasing used by Tavares was somewhat more persuasive though, with an assertion that governments in the European Union should contribute to the creation of fast-charging networks, followed by the assertion that it should “be discussed” whether fines should then be delayed if potential fast-charging station development targets aren’t met.
A clever enough way of trying to talk your way out of your company paying for its effects on the wider world and human society, I suppose. The approach used by Tavares certainly does almost make him appear to be a genius in that regard as compared to VW Group execs. That may simply be due to the fact that Volkswagen execs simply don’t give a damn, because they know that most Germans don’t either — and more importantly that the German government doesn’t.
Reuters provides more: “In a newspaper interview last week, Tavares suggested carmakers should not be fined for non-compliance if the density of electric-car charging networks remained inadequate.”
“The accelerating decline of diesel, long used by carmakers to boost fuel-efficiency, is undermining carmakers’ efforts to meet the looming CO2 goals and avoid big penalties…In what could be the start of a pushback against the agreed carbon emissions targets by the main ACEA European carmakers’ lobby, Tavares — who currently chairs the ACEA — said he would propose the new demands to its board this week.”
One has to wonder if the auto manufacturers in Europe have any intent at all at this point to achieve the aforementioned goals. Despite fluff PR statements to the contrary, the embrace of plug-in electric vehicles by auto manufacturers in Europe seems to be occurring at a glacial pace.
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