Electric vehicles are not the only efficient way to reduce carbon emissions created by the automobile sector, according to the leader of Italy’s automotive lobby on Tuesday.

Other technologies, according to Paolo Scudieri, chairman of the automotive industry organisation ANFIA, might help to decarbonize the industry, fulfilling the same emissions targets while retaining know-how and jobs in Italy.

“I refer to the tangible contribution that biofuels and synthetic fuels, as well as hydrogen, can provide,” Scudieri said opening ANFIA’s public assembly, adding the Italian automotive industry was already making huge investments on hydrogen.

Biofuels and synthetic fuels, known as e-fuels, are being developed to allow modified versions of combustion engines to continue to be utilised instead of a complete conversion to battery electric cars (BEV).

Scudieri stated that focusing solely on BEV technology, which is presently dominated by Asian producers, would threaten 73,000 jobs in Italy in the future years, which would not be offset by the 6,000 additional jobs predicted to be produced by electric mobility.

He stated that 450 vehicle parts manufacturers in Italy, out of a total of 2,200, are at risk of going out of business because they have not yet begun to transfer production to electric technology.

The European Commission has proposed that industry reduce CO2 emissions by 100 percent by 2035. The goal, which is part of a larger package of climate change regulations announced last year, would make it impossible to sell new fossil-fuel-powered automobiles in the EU’s 27 member countries. 

The European Parliament will undertake a debate on climate policy next week, including a plan to effectively ban combustion engine cars by 2035.

Scudieri stated that there was no prevailing stance among the various political factions in the European Parliament.

“Every single vote will count and my wish is that our MEPs will vote also having the country’s interests in mind,” he said.

(Adapted from EconomicTimes.com)