In 2035, the sale of combustion cars will be prohibited: only vehicles that do not emit carbon dioxide (CO2) while driving can be sold. Or what is the same: thermal engines (also hybrids) will have no place and their place will be for those free of emissions. A definition in which, for the moment, only electric and hydrogen vehicles enter: the former are more established… although, now, in Europe they want to limit them. Why?
The answer is found in Swiss, that it is planning the ‘modus operandi’ to deal with the possible impact that the Ukrainian War may have on its energy supply: if electricity starts to run short, electric cars will be limited. It is a proposal that has not yet become a regulation. In it they propose a plan for scaled cuts and in the third level (the last) the use of electrical energy in certain situations would be prohibited: driving is one of them.
partial restrictions
Of course, it would not be a general restriction. The Swiss government has contemplated a partial limitation of electric cars if the country faces a severe electricity shortage: they would only be authorized for go to work, to make essential purchases, to go to the doctor, to a religious event or to appointments related to Justice.
How did you come to this decision? Making accounts. A vehicle in Switzerland travels, on average, 13,500 kilometers per year and an electric car consumes, on average, almost 200 Wh/km. This means that a home with a pair of electrical would have an annual consumption of 5400 kWh… only for them. An amount to take into account, since the electricity consumption of an average family home is 4,500 kWh.
However, the restrictions (should they be necessary) would have a limited impact on mobility: in Switzerland, only one in fifty vehicles is fully electric. We talk about a just under 10%.
more doubts
The plan, which, as we said, has several levels, includes other possible previous limitations to the use of electric cars, such as limiting indoor temperatures to 18 degrees, prohibiting the use of Netflix or the temporary closure of parks, casinos, nightclubs, saunas and escalators. In the most extreme scenario, electricity could go offline for several hours in particular regions.
Some drivers do not quite welcome the government’s plan to restrict electric cars because they feel they could be penalized for acting in favor of the environment. Instead of restrictions, they request to make exceptions for those who generate their own electricity and who only charge vehicles at night when demand is low. Switzerland has responded by assuring that charging time does not play a role in conserving electricity when supply is limited and reminding that the electricity returned to the grid is irrelevant.
This proposal It has generated some debate about how prepared Europe is to deal with the transition from fossil fuels to electricity. So much so that some point to possible limitations as a reason to avoid buying an electric car.