Germany Wants To Water Down EU CO2 Targets With EVs Nobody Wants
An attempt of Germany to water down CO2 targets, about to be imposed by the EU, explains why automakers are eager to build EVs despite a lack of an eager market. Germany proposes that so-called supercredits can be used to off-set the limits. “Unlimited supercredits could allow the manufacture of electric cars for which there is little or no demand, while allowing just as many polluting vehicles as before on to the roads,” campaigners against supercredits told Reuters.
According to the wire, “Germany has been pushing for months for greater flexibility in implementing an emissions goal of 95 grams of carbon dioxide per kilometre (g/km) as an average across new EU vehicles from 2020. But votes in the European Parliament so far have backed a fairly robust version of the European Commission’s original proposal.”
Supercredits would allow high emission cars – provided that their makers also make very low-emission vehicles, such as electric cars.
In the U.S., EVs are often only sold in states that demand them by law. So called “quota cars” are available only in the numbers necessary to make the quota. Tesla’s profit for instance was made not by selling cars, but by selling carbon credits.
Bertel Schmitt comes back to journalism after taking a 35 year break in advertising and marketing. He ran and owned advertising agencies in Duesseldorf, Germany, and New York City. Volkswagen A.G. was Bertel's most important corporate account. Schmitt's advertising and marketing career touched many corners of the industry with a special focus on automotive products and services. Since 2004, he lives in Japan and China with his wife <a href="http://www.tomokoandbertel.com"> Tomoko </a>. Bertel Schmitt is a founding board member of the <a href="http://www.offshoresuperseries.com"> Offshore Super Series </a>, an American offshore powerboat racing organization. He is co-owner of the racing team Typhoon.
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The campaigners against super credits don't realize they're opposing an attempt to shore up the cratering carbon credit market, a creation of the Greens. Somehow, I suspect Germany's expanded importation of American coal to replace nuclear electricity generation has something to do with the German government's effort.
I've decided to make my carbon footprint as large as humanly possible. http://m.youtube.com/watch?feature=m-ch-fea&v=553JwT09MNk
Does/will BMW get credit for the i3/i8 with range extenders? And those sold around the world or just in the EU? Cuz the i3 with range extender looks pretty interesting...
“Unlimited supercredits could allow the manufacture of electric cars for which there is little or no demand.” Do they really think that manufacturers will build cars that they cannot sell? That they'll just scrap those expensive EVs? I don't think so. They'll only build what they can sell. However, the part that says “while allowing just as many polluting vehicles as before on to the roads” is closer to the truth thanks to the supercredits.