Apologies, been at the summerhouse for a few days, largely off the grid there.
It’s not all about squeezing under emission targets. Fundamentally it’s about building a sustainable future. Chasing emission targets is futile anyway as targets change, not just regionally, but locally. In London we had a ‘low emission zone’,then an ‘ultra-low emission zone” (current), and soon a ‘no-emission zone’ will be rolled out.
In London it’ll cost you ~$20/day for PV and $180/day for lorries/busses if not bellow set ultra-low levels. This is happening in all urban centres across Europe. How to keep up with this? For VW and GM, the answer is go electric.
This brings me to the point where our views probably differ the most – subsidies(specially for BEV).
IMF has calculated the total global subsides for fossil fuels to be US$5.2 trillion (6.5% of global GDP), of which direct subsidies (consumption/supply tax subsidies) is US$728 billion…. [2]. Definition of madness.
Who do you think pays for this?
For perspective, the IMF calculated $289b of fossil fuel subsidies in Europe – put in EVs it would equate to US$29,000/car for the entire European market.. for the US it’s US$40,000/car ($649b)….. and China,US$50,000/car ($1.4t). You’d have cars for free!
Governments need to revoke the fossil fuel subsidies and support renewables, including EVs.Let price of petrol and coal reflect the real costs: for example, I’m currently in Finland, petrol is~AU$2.60/L, or by enacting low/no emission zones where polluting cars pay up. So,not subsidising fossil fuel means subsidising EVs is justified – not just emotionally, but also economically. Heck, this may even save taxpayers money.
We have the technology, I’d say the main reason it’s not pushed harder is strong lobbying by fossil fuel companies, but people have a voice and it’s getting louder and louder (and politicians listen, coz they want the votes).
ps In regards to SUVs – last year about 1/3 of all cars sold were SUVs. Several electric SUV models are coming out this and the coming years; there will be plenty to choose from, and I’d say hurrying into that space will give a massive economic tailwind..
pss subsidies also need to be in place to support a shift to a renewable grid)
1. https://techcrunch.com/2019/09/10/ford-unveils-lineup-for-europe-to-outpace-gas-and-diesel-vehicle-sales-by-2022/
2. https://www.imf.org/en/Publications/WP/Issues/2019/05/02/Global-Fossil-Fuel-Subsidies-Remain-Large-An-Update-Based-on-Country-Level-Estimates-46509
(20min delay)