German factories and automakers disagree over EU car package
The European Commission's automotive package, which expands the production of internal combustion engines and encourages the use of environmentally friendly steel, has been met with conflicting comments from German factories and automakers.
The WV Stahl Steel Producers Federation welcomes the proposals of the European Commission to create incentives that will ensure a leading position in the market of "EU-made steel". The Federation pays special attention to a specific proposal for the revision of CO₂ emission standards for new passenger cars and light commercial vehicles. "For the first time, low-emission steel produced exclusively in the EU will be taken into account when limits for corporate fleets are reached," writes WV Sthal.
In contrast, automakers value neither one nor the other and especially reject Brussels' new requirements for environmentally friendly steel and renewable fuels.
The steel supply adjustment is related to conditions that the automotive industry cannot influence, Callanish said in a statement provided by the VDA Federation of Automobile Manufacturers. "It does not depend on the automotive industry whether sufficient environmentally friendly steel produced in the EU will be available at competitive prices in 2035," the VDA says.
It also says that the ideas behind the corporate fleet initiative and its distribution among various Member States are "completely unrealistic." The VDA recognizes that there is an urgent need to take action regarding heavy commercial vehicles and related cargo transportation regulations throughout the fleet. But it notes that the obvious areas for action are, again, beyond the reach of automakers. These include, in particular, the expansion of the H2 charging and refueling infrastructure, the VDA notes.
This package in its current form is the "antithesis of confidence in planning," writes the VDA. "We will be punished if others fail to do their homework or if expectations are not met."
Author: Christian Kel Germany
Kallanish.com