Subscribe to Receive the Daily Report

Tuesday, January 17th, 2017

China, Europe drive shift to electric cars as U.S. lags

Author:     Laurence Frost
Source:     Reuters
Publication Date:     Sun Jan 15, 2017 | 9:23am EST
 Link: China, Europe drive shift to electric cars as U.S. lags
Stephan:   SR readers know that my evaluation of what is happening in non-petroleum powered vehicles and the infrastructure necessary to support them is that the United States is falling further and further behind the transition out of the carbon era. And that China and Europe have become the leaders. Why?  Because the Congress and now the Presidency and the new administration constitute a cabal of people who deny climate change and are  committed to protecting corporate carbon interests. Others now also see this trend, as this article describes, because the facts are so clear they cannot be denied by anyone who bases their assessments on actual data and not ideology, theology or bribery -- Oh, excuse me, I mean political contributions.

Norway and the Netherlands have both announced plans to completely phase out vehicles with diesel engines by 2025.
Credit: Pawel Libera/LightRocke

DETROIT — Electric cars will pick up critical momentum in 2017, many in the auto industry believe – just not in North America.

Tighter emissions rules in China and Europe leave global carmakers and some consumers with little choice but to embrace plug-in vehicles, fuelling an investment surge, said industry executives gathered in Detroit this past week for the city’s annual auto show.

“Car electrification is an irreversible trend,” said Jacques Aschenbroich, chief executive of auto supplier Valeo (VLOF.PA), which has expanded sales by 50 percent in five years with a focus on electric, hybrid, connected and self-driving cars.

In Europe, green cars benefit increasingly from subsidies, tax breaks and other perks, while combustion engines face mounting penalties including driving and parking restrictions.

China, struggling with catastrophic pollution levels in major cities, is aggressively pushing plug-in vehicles. Its carrot-and-stick approach combines tens of billions in investment and research funding with subsidies, and regulations designed […]

Read the Full Article