The Daily Telegraph - Saturday
Ratcliffe fumes over e-cars... as he launches one
At unveiling of Ineos 4x4, firm’s owner launches into tirade against insistence on battery-powered vehicles
‘You can’t force a solution down the consumer’s throat... They’re not buying electric cars’
BUSINESSMEN launching new electric cars are usually keen to talk up the technology. But Sir Jim Ratcliffe, the billionaire owner of the Ineos petrochemicals empire, is not your average tycoon. At an event yesterday compèred by
Grand Tour host Richard Hammond, the 71-year-old had gathered journalists to announce his company’s new battery-powered 4x4, the Fusilier.
He revealed the car will come in two versions, one that is battery-only and another with a backup petrol-fueled engine that can also recharge the vehicle – in an attempt to address so-called range anxiety. But to his audience’s surprise, Sir Jim then mounted an impassioned critique of electric vehicles and accused governments of trying to force them “down the consumer’s throat”.
He said: “Europe is saying ‘You’ll all drive in electric vehicles and we’ll can the combustion engine’, whereas America is saying… ‘there probably isn’t one solution for all purposes’.
“I think, ultimately, they can’t force a solution down the consumer’s throat that the consumer rejects. They need to find a solution which is acceptable to people. The consumer should have a choice. And it’s clear at the moment that consumers are speaking with their feet, aren’t they? They’re not buying electric cars.”
Sir Jim said electric vehicles struggled on long journeys outside of cities, where charging points are less common. He said: “A lot of the population do want to go on a long journey, they don’t want range anxiety.
“So the direction we are going is to have two offerings. We’ll have an electric vehicle, which I think will be very capable. But my personal, strong preference is the same electric vehicle but with a range extender under the bonnet.”
The battery version of the Fusilier will have a range of at least 248 miles (400km), according to Ineos, while the range-extender version will have a battery range of around 170 miles that will be supplemented by the petrol motor. His comments come as debate rages in the car industry about how to reduce emissions while keeping prices low and allowing consumers to recharge or refuel quickly.
In the UK, the zero emissions mandate is forcing large carmakers to increase sales of electric vehicles in the coming decade, from 22 per cent of sales this year to 80 per cent by 2030.
Similar rules in Europe ban carmakers from selling vehicles that create tailpipe carbon emissions from 2035, with the exception of those that run on synthetic fuels. While some carmakers are planning electric-only lineups, others such as Toyota have argued that multiple types of cars – including hybrids and hydrogen-powered vehicles – will still have a place in the future.
Sir Jim argued that electric vehicles still had major drawbacks and that carmakers should not be forced to sell them at the expense of other potential options. He also claimed European regulations effectively force companies like his to develop electric vehicles, adding that they “can’t survive” without launching one. It should be up to motorists to decide which technology triumphs, he added, saying that continuing innovation in Formula 1 was proof that the internal combustion engine was “not at the end of the road yet”.
He added: “I’ve absolutely no issue with decarbonising automotive fleets. But you can’t be too idealistic about it. You’ve got to accept that if something’s an improvement, then that’s not a bad thing. You can’t just go for the ideal solution, because you won’t be able to force that upon people.”
A Government spokesman said: “Our pragmatic, world-leading approach will put us on a pathway to ensuring that by 2035, new cars and vans will be zero emissions at the exhaust, all while supporting growth and safeguarding skilled jobs in the UK’s car industry.”