Italy joins the opposition to banning combustion engines in 2035

Electric cars have established themselves as the great solution against pollution. This is what the European Union believes, which has already given final approval to ending sales of combustion-engine cars in 2035. But we have already discussed on other occasions that there are member states of the European Union that oppose this measure. There are several reasons for this, but there is a common perception that we are not prepared for the full transition to electric mobility.

Now, Italy has been the country that has decided to voice its opposition to this joint project. Italy’s Minister of Foreign Affairs is not opposed to the European measure, but wants to clarify an important detail about it. In fact, he has asked the European Council to lower the Union’s target from a 100% cut in emissions to 90% by 2035.

In this way, the possibility of keeping combustion engines will remain open, although with technology that will allow emissions to be reduced below current levels, but without moving to full electric mobility. Minister Antonio Trajani does not see a complete transition to electric cars by that date as realistic.

Thus, with its counterproposal, extra time would be available for manufacturers to adapt to this new requirement and to offer quality electric cars with real solutions for users. It is not a very surprising move coming from Italy, of course.

The "Amendment Ferrari", a loophole to the ban on selling combustion-engine cars in 2035

<p>The ban on selling cars with combustion engines in 2035 in the European Union could have an exception for certain luxury brands.</p>

And the automotive industry accounts for 5% of the country’s GDP. This industry employs around 270,000 people. That means it is quite important for the country, and the government wants to protect Italian manufacturers. We must not forget that some of the Italian brands are Lamborghini and Ferrari. Luxury brands that base their product on powerful combustion engines and that find the transition to electric mobility harder to achieve with the same success as brands working with more modest engines.

Italy’s proposal against the ban is known as “Amendment Ferrari” and proposes postponing the ban on selling combustion-engine cars until the end of 2035, provided they have a production run of between 1,000 and 10,000 passenger cars and between 1,000 and 22,000 vans. Manufacturers that produce fewer than 1,000 vehicles a year would be exempt from this ban, according to this proposal. Will it take hold in the end and be replicated by other European countries?