Carlos Tavares, the boss of the Stellantis group, has never been an ardent defender of fully electric cars, even despite the European Union’s decision to ban the sale of thermal cars from 1Er July 2035 apparently made him change his tune.
As you may know, the EU recently confirmed a post-2035 exemption for thermal cars. Models running on synthetic fuel will be allowed for sale, this energy is considered climate neutral. To learn about all the ins and outs of synthetic fuel, feel free to check out our dedicated article.
Synthetic fuel will have to prove itself
This could obviously be seen as good news for Carlos Tavares, especially for the motorsport fan that he is, but according to him, the approval of e-fuels will not greatly change the trajectory the automotive industry is on today.
“We are on the way to the electrification expected by the EU”, said Carlos Tavares at the first Stellantis Forum “Freedom of Mobility”. The group also hopes to make the event an annual meeting over the next few years.
“I think e-fuel will be another technological area that will develop”– said Carlos Tavares. “This industry will have to demonstrate that it is truly carbon neutral, from carbon ‘capture’ on the one hand to engine emissions on the other.”
Everything for an electric car
In general, Today, Stellantis prefers to focus exclusively on electric vehiclesin particular with the desire to offer less expensive products.
This will take place on several points and, according to him, the legislator will also have a role, in particular, p deployment of charging infrastructure. A better grid will allow cars with smaller batteries, also with less autonomy, but therefore also less expensive.
“One of the most important ways to make clean mobility affordable is to make EVs lighter, which means finding better battery chemistry, using alternative materials and public charging infrastructure. This will allow for cars with less autonomy and therefore smaller batteries. »– said Carlos Tavares. “If the car is smaller, the weight is less; lower weight means lower cost. »
“Ultimately, EVs will be more affordable if the infrastructure is dense enough to provide peace of mind in terms of range”he added.
Source: Auto Plus
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