The CEO of Repsol, Josu Jon Imaz, regretted yesterday that the Spanish Government did not oppose, like Italy or Germany, the prohibition set by the EU to sell in Europe vehicles with combustion engines from the year 2035 “I would also have liked to see the central government supporting non-prohibitionism, especially for the Spanish automotive sector. We are the second European car manufacturer”, said the manager after participating in the ‘Wake Up Spain!’ day.
Imaz applauded the agreement reached at 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 bet”, he specified. But it became clear that in his opinion Spain should also have defended this position, since he considers that the initial ban would have been too harsh. “Europe has been aware of the serious error 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, and assured that the Spanish park is increasingly “older”, so the result is that emissions do not decrease.
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 an obstacle every increasingly important in the transition towards zero emissions”.
Likewise, Imaz pointed out that these uncertain messages about what should be the ideal technology for sustainable mobility have had another consequence: that car manufacturers stop investing in improving the efficiency of the current combustion engine, ” so car emissions will not drop”, he stated. 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 addition to the existing fleet of combustion engines and special applications, such as for rescue vehicles or for small series, such as the Porsche 911”.
The top executive of Repsol insisted that the European energy policy “has failed”, after having focused solely on sustainability, leaving aside the security of supply and the fact of having an affordable price. “We are cheating all by ourselves. In the world we continue to increase CO2 emissions. What is happening in Europe? What we say in Europe, no, is that here we are lowering them, 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. “Don’t you think it’s a magnificent exercise in hypocrisy when we’re bringing natural gas from the US?”, he stressed, adding that what must be done is “try to use all the sources at our disposal”. he concluded.
