By Paul Homewood

h/t Patsy Lacey

Driving could become the preserve of the rich as Britain and other countries around the world impose bans on diesel and petrol cars and embrace electrification, the boss of Vauxhall owner Stellantis has warned.

A global rush to go electric could make cars too expensive for the middle classes, said Carlos Tavares, chief executive of the world’s fifth-biggest car maker – and it may even fail to significantly reduce carbon emissions because the vehicles are so much heavier than petrol ones.

The comments are the most outspoken public criticism of electrification by any car boss and will likely cause consternation in Downing Street, where Prime Minister Boris Johnson has said new fossil fuel cars will be banned from 2030.

He said: “I can’t imagine a democratic society where there is no freedom of mobility because it’s only for wealthy people and all the others will use public transport.”

The pandemic has underlined the public’s dependence on cars for “personal mobility” and this should be seen as a fundamental right, Mr Tavares said.

Car manufacturers are confident about making vehicles that can meet environmental goals, he said, but added this could drive up prices. A petrol Vauxhall Corsa starts at £16,000 while the company’s cheapest electric version, the Corsa E, costs £26,400, although the price difference is narrowing.

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/business/2021/05/12/electric-cars-may-make-driving-expensive-middle-classes-warns/

I am quite sure that this has been the objective of the green lobby for sometime.

The availability of affordable motor cars for the masses has totally transformed people’s lives. They are now able to go where they want, when they want, work where they want and enjoy their leisure time how they want, in a way that would have been inconceivable to most people a few decades ago.

Mr Tavares is quite correct when he says this should be seen as a fundamental right.

via NOT A LOT OF PEOPLE KNOW THAT

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May 13, 2021