The European Union has pulled another one of its brilliant plans out of its magic hat, and this time, it’s a real banger. Picture a world where your favourite car rental company – you know, the ones who hand you a sleek convertible for your holiday in Spain – can only buy electric cars from 2030 onwards. No more roaring V8s, no more diesels that power you from Amsterdam to Munich without a stop, just humming electric buggies that leave you stranded halfway because the nearest charging point is occupied by a trendy mum with a Tesla. This is the EU’s latest toy, and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz isn’t exactly thrilled about it. And honestly? I totally get him.
The EU, with its insatiable love for rules and meddling, has decided that car rental companies and large corporate fleets must only purchase electric vehicles from 2030. Why? Because about 60 percent of new cars in Europe go to commercial fleets, and if you make them all electric, you’re a big step closer to that holy grail of a CO2-neutral future. Sounds noble, doesn’t it? But in practice, this plan leaks like an old Land Rover in a rainstorm. Merz, with his typical German pragmatism, called the proposal “completely out of touch with Europe’s current needs.” And he’s got a point. The automotive industry, one of Europe’s crown jewels, is being brought to its knees by this nonsense. “We mustn’t destroy our industry by focusing on one technology,” Merz said, and I can only clap my hands.
Let’s be honest: electric cars aren’t the answer to everything. Yes, they’re quiet, and yes, they don’t spew exhaust fumes while you zip through the city. But have you ever tried renting an electric car on a Greek island? Good luck finding a charging station among the olive groves and goats. Rental companies like Hertz and Sixt have already tried going big on electric, and guess what? They’ve dumped tens of thousands of EVs from their fleets, often for peanuts, because customers weren’t interested. Why? Because no one on holiday wants to spend hours hunting for a working charger or leave their rental car at a fast charger that looks like it came straight out of the Soviet Union. People want convenience, not hassle. And don’t get me started on the infrastructure. Europe’s power grid simply isn’t ready to fuel millions of rental cars. The charging network is a patchwork of broken stations, slow chargers, and apps more frustrating than a traffic jam on the M25.
Then there’s the economic side. This plan doesn’t just hit rental companies; it also affects big leasing firms and corporate fleets. That’s 60 percent of Europe’s new car market! If they’re all forced to go electric, guess what happens: costs skyrocket. Electric cars are still pricier to buy than their petrol or diesel counterparts, and those costs will, of course, be passed on to the customer. So brace yourself for more expensive rentals and lease contracts. And who pays the price? You got it – you and me, the hardworking folks who just want to rent a car to drive to the coast without taking out a mortgage.
But it gets even better. The EU is stubbornly sticking to its plan to make all new cars CO2-neutral by 2035, which is basically a ban on combustion engines. This new proposal for rental companies is a backdoor way to enforce that ban five years earlier for a huge chunk of the market. Clever, Brussels, very clever. But also incredibly short-sighted. Because while the EU chases its green dreams, the automotive industry is gasping under the pressure. Germany, the land of BMW, Mercedes, and Volkswagen, is feeling the heat. Merz warns that a single-minded focus on electric driving will destroy the industry, and he’s not alone in thinking that. Even the bosses of big carmakers like BMW and Mercedes are calling for a broader approach, with room for hybrids, synthetic fuels, and other technologies. Because let’s face it: if you kill off the combustion engine, you’re throwing a century of innovation and jobs onto the scrapheap.
And then there’s the reality of the market. In Germany, electric car sales plummeted by nearly 70 percent in August after subsidies were scrapped. Customers either don’t want them or can’t afford them. And if even the Germans, who usually buy anything shiny with four wheels, are pulling the plug, what do you think is happening in the rest of Europe? The EU seems to think it can force an entire industry to go electric, but it’s forgetting that the customer ultimately decides. And that customer wants choice, not coercion. As Merz put it: “Europe must remain technologically open.” Spot on. Let the market sort it out, instead of bureaucrats in Brussels thinking they can dictate the future.
So what now? The EU says the proposal isn’t final yet, and the European Parliament will vote on it later this year. But if this goes through, buckle up. Rental cars will get pricier, choice will shrink, and there’s a good chance your holiday plans will stall at a broken charging station in the middle of nowhere. The automotive industry deserves better, and so do we, the drivers. Let’s hope Merz and his allies can make Brussels sing a lower tune. Because if we’re not careful, we’ll all end up driving an electric car we didn’t want, to a place where we can’t charge.
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