European Court of Audit Report: Electric Cars Still Too Uncompetitive to Reduce CO2 Emissions, Expected to Continue After 2035

The goals to reduce greenhouse gases again under the grill… According to a report from the European Court of Audit, it will be very difficult to reduce greenhouse gases to zero in 2035. The document this, which was published on Monday April 21, 2024, recalling that the vehicle fleet should remain a strong emitter of these pollutants, including after this date as only sales ban new thermal cars.

The mobile stock is still very polluted

The report thus indicates that the regulation to reduce polluting gases that came into force in 2009 did not begin to produce its effects until 2020. Accordingly, only in the that year CO2 emissions started to decrease.

“Despite strong intentions and strict requirements, most current thermal cars still produce the same amount of CO2 that was twelve years ago“, emphasizes Nikolaos Milionisone of the authors of the report.

In addition, the European Court of Audit clarifies that the institutions were slow to apply a road map to the development of alternative fuels that would have made it possible to limit CO2 emissions.

Read also: European cacophony on the ban on the sale of thermal vehicles in 2035

The electric car parade failed

Finally, the report claims that theEurope failed to build a competitive ecosystem around production electric cars, which puts the future at risk. The Court is aware that the Old Continent is heavily dependent on imports in terms of batteries electricity.

Read also: The Court of Auditors is concerned about the state of battery production in Europe

The document notes that “extreme addiction“from Europe”import of resources from third countries because they do not have satisfactory trade agreements“or exhibiting”geopolitical risks for Europe’s strategic autonomy“, “not to mention the social and environmental conditions in which these raw materials are produced“.

So, Europeimports 87% of its lithium crude from Australia, 80% of its manganese from South Africa and Gabon, 68% of its cobalt from the Democratic Republic of Congo and 40% of its graphite from China“.