Ford Rival Renault Pours Water On Rapid European EV Pivot

Quite a lot has changed since the European Union first announced that it intended to legislate its way to a zero-emissions future some time ago, with slower-than-expected growth in EV demand pouring cold water on those plans. As such, the EU has been working to revise its goal of achieving zero-emissions by 2035, most recently mulling the idea of adding for an e-fuel provision that would allow ICE vehicles to continue to be sold. Ford has also dialed back its European EV ambitions as of late, and now, one of its rivals – Renault – is following suit.

According to Reuters, Renault CEO Luca De Meo recently expressed doubt that Europe can transition to EVs in short order given current materials costs. “We need a little more flexibility in the schedule,” De Meo told the business publication Les Echos. “However, it would be a serious strategic error to purely and simply abandon the objective because of the current market slowdown. The truth is we are not yet on the right trajectory to achieve 100 percent electric cars by 2035. That’s the truth. If customers don’t follow us, we’re all responsible. We need to cut costs.”

Last year, EV sales across the globe rose by 35 percent, but in Europe, all-electric vehicle sales slid slightly in June, while the overall market grew by 4.3 percent. This is precisely the reason why Renault is casting doubt on the EU’s ZEV plans, but Ford has done precisely the same thing as of late.

In fact, Ford CEO Jim Farley recently cast his own bit of doubt on whether or not EVs are the answer at all, leaving the door open for other types of motivation – including hydrogen and sustainable fuels – as potential alternatives. Meanwhile, Ford has ditched its admittedly “ambitious” plan to go all-electric across its passenger vehicle lineup in Europe by 2030, and instead, will continue to offer an array of powertrains there for the foreseeable future.

We’ll have more on everything Ford’s competition is up to soon, so be sure and subscribe to Ford Authority for continuous Ford news coverage.