The president of Italy’s automotive association stated on Tuesday that electric vehicles are not the only efficient way to reduce carbon emissions created by the automobile sector.
Other technologies, according to Paolo Scudieri, chairman of the automobile industry group ANFIA, might help decarbonize the industry while maintaining know-how and employment in Italy.
“I’m referring about the tangible contribution that biofuels, synthetic fuels, and hydrogen, as well as hydrogen itself, can make,” Scudieri said at the ANFIA public assembly, adding that the Italian automobile sector was already investing heavily in hydrogen.
Biofuels and synthetic fuels, dubbed e-fuels, are being developed to allow modified versions of combustion engines to continue to be utilized instead of making the changeover to battery electric cars entirely (BEV).
Scudieri claimed that relying only on BEV technology, which is now dominated by Asian manufacturers, would jeopardize 73,000 employment in Italy over the next few years, which would not be offset by the 6,000 additional jobs predicted to be produced by electric mobility.
Around 450 vehicle components manufacturers in Italy, out of a total of 2,200, are in risk of going out of business because they have not yet begun to transfer production to electric technology, according to him.
The European Commission has suggested that the industry reduce CO2 emissions by 100% by 2035. The goal, which is part of a larger package of climate change measures unveiled last year, would make it illegal to sell new fossil-fuel-powered automobiles in the EU’s 27 member states.
The European parliament will consider several climate proposals next week, including a plan to virtually prohibit combustion engine automobiles by 2035.
Within the European parliament, according to Scudieri, there is no dominating view among the various political factions.
“Every single vote will be counted, and my hope is that our MEPs will vote in the best interests of the country,” he stated.
