The EU is looking to delay its ban on combustion engined cars by 2035.

Following pressure from some manufacturers, the news, coupled with Ford’s recent decision to scale back its proposed larger EV range, creates a slower transition away from ICE vehicles. Whether the UK will follow suit remains to be seen.

The EU is (currently) legally bound to achieve climate neutrality by 2050, but energy crises, the dominance of China over rare earth minerals and state subsidies, and internal rollbacks of tax incentives have left consumers feeling a chill over EV adoption.

New proposal could see a greater number of hybrids allowed, and trade-offs in using low carbon steel and manufacturing.

William Todts of T&E commented: Henry Ford apparently once said, “if I had asked people what they wanted, they would have said faster horses." A hundred years on his successor, Ford CEO Jim Farley, says Europe is risking the future of its auto industry. He puts the blame on unrealistic green regulations and uncertainty. He, like other car CEOs, suggest a return to the combustion engine will restore Europe’s competitiveness. He could not be more wrong.

“Europe following the path of Trump’s America and gutting the very regulations that underpin the electric vehicle transition would be a fatal error.”

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