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Europe Wanted to Lead the World on EVs. Its Carmakers Can’t Keep Up

The lack of cheap EVs and the reliance on combustion engines is putting Europe’s plan to ban new petrol cars by 2035 at risk.

The continent’s rich carmaking heritage, coupled with these defined environmental targets, could in theory create a strong foundation for European manufacturers to lead the way in the global switch to electric mobility. “A regulatory framework that ignores customer needs and market realities–and at the same time, is incapable of creating the necessary conditions for alternative technologies – cannot succeed,” a BMW spokesperson said in a written statement to WIRED, explaining that the company is opposed to the 2035 ban. The far-right political party Alternative für Deutschland (AfD), which is currently second in the polls ahead of Germany’s snap general elections in February 2025, doesn’t support a combustion engine ban and has made the perceived economic cost of environmental policies a key part of its messaging.

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