The CEO of Repsol, Josu Jon Imaz, regretted this Monday that the Spanish Government did not oppose, like Italy or Germany, the ban set by the EU on selling combustion engine vehicles in Europe from the year 2035. I would also have liked to see the Government supporting non-prohibitionism, especially for the Spanish automotive sector. We are the second largest European car manufacturer”, said the manager after participating in the “Wake Up Spain!” conference.
Imaz applauded the agreement reached over the weekend in Brussels, which allows the commercialization of vehicles that use future synthetic fuels – the so-called eco-fuels. “I am glad that the German Government and the Italian Government have been promoting this commitment”, he specified. But it became clear that, in his opinion, Spain should also have defended this position, considering that the initial prohibition would have been too harsh. “Europe has been aware of the serious mistake of banning the sale of the combustion engine in 2035,” he declared.
The CEO of Repsol estimated that “the measures of the prohibitionists” are generating “uncertainty” in consumers. “People don’t know which car to buy. We are making mobility only for the rich”, said the manager, who assured that the Spanish park is getting “older”, which has as a result that emissions are not lowered.
This criticism coincides with the position of the employers’ association Anfac, which warns that “with inflation on the rise and the price of batteries increasing, for the first time in more than a decade there is a risk that affordability will become a major obstacle in the transition to zero emissions.
Likewise, Imaz pointed out that these uncertain messages about what should be the ideal technology for sustainable mobility have had as another consequence that car manufacturers stop investing in improving the efficiency of the current combustion engine, “with which car emissions They are not going down,” he said. For example, from the Volkswagen group they confirm that they are committed to electric mobility and that they see synthetic fuels as something residual, “a useful complement to the existing fleet of combustion engines and special applications, such as for rescue vehicles or for small series , like the Porsche 911”.
Repsol’s top executive insisted that European energy policy “has failed”, after having focused solely on sustainability, leaving aside security of supply and having an affordable price. “We are cheating in solitaire. In the world we continue to increase CO? emissions. What happens in Europe? What in Europe we say, no, is that here we are going down, yes, because we are hiding them under the carpet ”, he asserted.
In the specific case of Spain, he recalled that a law is in force that prevents the exploration and production of natural gas. “Doesn’t this seem like a magnificent exercise in hypocrisy when we are bringing natural gas from the United States?” He stressed, adding that what should be done is “try to use all the sources within our reach,” he concluded.
