EVs take center stage at Paris show
FRANKFURT, Oct 18, (AP): Europe is leading the push into battery-powered cars as electric vehicles (EV) enter the mainstream - even as the industry faces challenges including supply shortages, a spotty charging network and a looming recession.
The electric-as-routine approach is on display this week at a slimmed down Paris auto show as carmakers show off models aimed at fulfilling Europe’s promises to phase out internal combustion cars by 2035. Automakers at the show include Chinese manufacturers who analysts say are making rapid technological progress as they explore expansion into Europe.
Here are major themes from the Paris show, which opens to visitors Tuesday through Sunday at the Paris Expo Porte de Versailles exhibition center:
Electric first
Cars with an electric motor made up 41% of sales in the second quarter in Europe, with 9.9% battery-only cars and the rest hybrids that combine electric power with internal combustion, according to the European Automobile Manufacturers’ Association.
Gains have come because of regulatory pressure, tax breaks, improving battery range, and a wider range of vehicles to purchase.
“The electric revolution is in full swing,” wrote analysts at Sanford C. Bernstein research firm. “Car manufacturers are finally pivoting to electric vehicles and consumers are buying every electric vehicle they can find.” Bernstein analysts say that electric cars are “no longer a niche” and that “Europe will likely lead the way” due to tough emissions requirements.
By 2025, a quarter of all cars sold worldwide will likely be battery-only or hybrids that combine internal combustion with electric motors, they forecast.
Uptake has been slower in China, where the higher cost of producing electric cars leave them beyond the purchasing power of many consumers despite government incentives.
Battery and hybrid cars were 13.8% of the market for all of 2021. In the U.S., regulatory pressure from government emissions requirements has waxed or waned depending whether a Republican or a Democrat is in the White House; the electric share was around 4.5% in 2021.
At the Paris show, electrics are now the rule among major unveilings. They include Stellantis’ battery powered Jeep Avenger small SUV and the Peugeot 408 plug-in hybrid, while Renault has an electric version of its Kangoo small van and a rugged-looking SUV concept car dubbed the 4Ever Trophy. Mercedes-Benz unveiled its EQE crossover at an offsite event at the Rodin Museum on the eve of the show.
There’s still a long way to go before 2035, when European Union emissions regulations require a 100% reduction in tailpipe emissions of carbon dioxide from autos, which in effect mandates that all new cars are electric. It’s part of the EU’s push to meet its commitments under the 2015 Paris climate accords. Carbon dioxide is the primary greenhouse gas blamed by scientists for climate change.
Auto shows in decline
The Paris auto show - officially the Mondial de l’Automobile - is back for the first time since 2018, but has been noticeably scaled back since the last edition drew more than a million people.
It has been shortened to six days instead of 11 and is missing major automakers such as Volkswagen and BMW from next-door Germany. Instead, the focus is on the French home team: Stellantis’ Peugeot, DS and Jeep brands and competitor Renault.
Paris formerly alternated every other year with what was then the Frankfurt show as Europe’s major auto exhibition. The 2020 Paris show was lost to the pandemic, and in 2021 the Frankfurt show shifted to Munich and moved some aspects out of doors or online while including bicycles. It drew 400,000 visitors, down from 560,000 in 2019.
Visitors watch the Renault Apine H2 hydrogen-powered concept supercar at the Paris Car Show Monday, Oct. 17, 2022 in Paris. Europe is leading the charge into electric vehicles as battery powered cars break out of their niche market of first adopters and enter the mainstream with increasing market share that’s forecast to grow strongly as the EU pushes to phase out internal combustion engine vehicles by 2035. (AP)