Japan at one end and Europe at the other. That is, basically, the panorama that the automotive sector has regarding the commitment of the brands with the transition to the electric car. And these are the forecasts.
An report prepared by InfluenceMap based on data collected by IHS Markit determines that there is a remarkable inequality in relation to the long-term commitment that the big car manufacturers have made to the electric car.
In fact, three of the five largest car producers in the world based on 2020 data Toyota (first, 8.42 million), Honda (third, 4.4 million) and Nissan (fifth, 4.02 million), are at the bottom in this way.
And it is that the report concludes that the climate strategies of the largest automobile manufacturers in the world are undermining a transition aligned with the limitation of the increase in temperature of the planet in only 1.5 ºC in 2030. What is more, it affirms that the entire sector world automotive dIt will have to increase the annual production of zero emission vehicles by 80% from 2029 to 2030 to achieve that goal.
Tesla and Mercedes-Benz, the most committed
According to data and forecasts for 2030, only Mercedes-Benz (with 56% of its production being electric in 2029) and Tesla (obviously at 100%) are on track to meet the 1.5°C trend line set by the International Energy Association (IEA) for zero-emission vehicle production globally (57.5% of all global sales by 2030) based on recent forecasts.
At the same time, the InfluenceMap report found that automakers remain a major roadblock to government policy trying to speed up the shift to zero-emission vehicles.
To affirm such a thing, it is based on the fact that eight of the 12 companies analyzed receive a final grade of D or D+ in the analysis of their commitment to climate policy aligned with the Paris Agreement. In addition, it highlights that the sector’s climate policy commitment is characterized by high-level statements of support for climate action, in contrast to the strategic opposition to regulations to phase out internal combustion engines.
Not surprisingly, therefore, the report also notes that automakers lagging behind in the transition to electric vehicles have the most negative climate policy commitment.
“In general, ambitious climate legislation is a key factor for the electrification of road transport and a requirement for decarbonisation,” says the report, which also highlights that the regions with the most ambitious climate legislation for the automotive industry, such as the European Union, lead expected production of battery electric vehicles (BEVs)while regions with less ambitious climate legislation, such as Japan, lag behind in projected domestic production of these types of vehicles.
Furthermore, since it is expected that hydrogen fuel cell vehicles (FCEV) only reach 0.1% of global production of light vehicles by 2029, climate regulations promoting battery electric vehicles appear crucial to decarbonizing the sector.
Japanese manufacturers, in the queue
Japanese automakers are the least prepared for a zero-emissions transition and are the ones advocating the most vigorously against it.
Toyota (-14%), Honda (-18%) and Nissan (-22%) They are the three companies that obtain a more negative score in their commitment to climate policy. “While declaring support for it, they oppose key policies to phase out ICE vehicles and decarbonize road transport,” the study states.
Europe, on the other hand, leads the production of battery electric vehicles (BEV), while the United States is lagging behind. By 2029, 59% of light vehicles manufactured in the EU are forecast to be BEVscompared to just 35% in the US.
Nevertheless, BMW Group, Mercedes-Benz and Stellantis are outliers of this trend. Despite laying out the highest BEV ambitions in 2021-22, the companies have strategically opposed key policies to phase out vehicles powered by combustion engines.
The growing production of SUVs threatens the decarbonization of the automotive sector. InfluenceMap analysis finds that global SUV production is forecast to rise from 39% to 47% of all light vehicles from 2020 to 2029.
Increasing vehicle size is a major driver of transport emissions, with the 12 carmakers analyzed poised to produce a higher proportion of SUVs globally in 2029 than in 2020. This will cause, the report says, many reductions resulting from increased production of battery electric vehicles will eventually disappear.
In short, InfluenceMap considers that global automotive electric vehicle ambitions fall short of global climate goals. And it estimates that, by 2029, actual global emissions from light-duty vehicles may be significantly higher than is needed for even a 2°C path of temperature increase.
Source:
InfluenceMap