‘No Longer Realistic’: Top Auto Exec Calls For EU To Throw Gas-Engine Ban Overboard As Industry Gets Dogged By China

Carmaker BMW’s CEO called Tuesday for the European Union (EU) to walk back its ban on gas-engines in order to decrease dependence on China’s battery supply chain, according to Reuters.

The EU passed a law in March 2023 requiring all new cars sold from 2035 have zero carbon emissions, effectively banning traditional combustion engines. Now, BMW CEO Oliver Zipse is calling for regulators to walk back the rule, arguing a policy shift would help European automakers combat Chinese competition and reduce reliance on the country’s electric vehicle (EV) batteries, Reuters reported.

“A correction of the 100% BEV target for 2035 as part of a comprehensive CO2-reduction package would also afford European OEMs less reliance on China for batteries,” Zipse said at the Paris Motor Show, according to Reuters. “To maintain the successful course, a strictly technology-agnostic path within the policy framework is essential.”

Zipse added that the 2035 cutoff is “no longer realistic,” and that, “ today’s assumptions,” the policy would “lead to a massive shrinking of the industry as a whole,” the Guardian reported.

China controlled 11% of the European electric-car market as of June, and is the largest manufacturer of EV batteries,