Ban on combustion engines would be a catastrophe”

Ban on combustion engines would be a catastrophe”

This week they have The majority of EU environment ministers voted for a ban on internal combustion engines in motor vehicles from 2035. “This is a denial of reality,” says Burkhard Ernst, chairman of the “Mein Auto” association, who fears enormous damage. "This step would be a catastrophe," warns Ernst, "the switch to alternative drives such as electric and hydrogen cannot possibly be accomplished so quickly. We neither have the drives themselves nor the necessary refueling and charging infrastructure. In addition, this radical measure would hit socially disadvantaged people the hardest because they often cannot afford the switch."

Of course, the vehicle industry will not be immune to change, reassures Ernst: "On the contrary. We are actively shaping it, trying to gradually convert parts of our fleets. But the necessary infrastructure does not come from our industry; politicians are also called upon to create the framework and promote the expansion, or at least make it possible."

Therefore, Chairman Ernst also sends a clear appeal to politicians, especially the Austrian Environment Minister Leonore Gewessler: "There needs to be a discourse with the industry here, not just within politics. Things also have to be feasible, we have just learned from the issue of oil and gas that not everything can be changed at the push of a button. We have to move away from populism and towards responsible real politics."