COULD EUROPE BE ON THE VERGE OF A NEW BREED OF £13.000 SMALL EV?

CAR MAKERS WORK WITH EU TO PLOT NEW W SMALL CAR CLASS, AND DEMAND MORE TO BOOST EV UPTAKE AND SECURE FUTURE

- Paul Barker [e-mail]

AEX THE European Union has responded to manufacturers' calls for help by announcing a new Small Affordable Car initiative to kick-start the transition to EVs.

Just days after an impassioned plea from Stellantis chief executive Jean-Philippe Imparato for help with EV targets that he described as “not reachable” and which he said could “crash the automotive industry in Europe”, the EU signalled its intention to investigate a new breed of more affordable electric vehicles.

There's no word yet on when the initiative will have any tangible impact, but the fact that the conversation is under way is a positive step.

Imparato made four main demands to protect Europe's automotive industry. The headline one was to relax regulations around smaller cars so makers can profitably develop and build a 15,000-Euro (£13,000) EV with a range of around 70 miles.

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Just days later, EU President Ursula von der Leyen voiced a similar idea. “Millions of Europeans want affordable European cars, so we should also invest in small affordable vehicles, both for the European market and to meet the surge in global demand,” she said. “That is why we will propose to work with the industry on a new Small Affordable Car initiative.”

The EU President said the continent needs clean, efficient and lightweight cars that are affordable and built in Europe, with European supply chains. “We cannot let China and others conquer this market; no matter what, the future is electric and Europe will be part of it,” she continued.

The key issue around this cheaper small car is that it would necessitate a relaxing of regulations regarding safety tech in particular to make it viable — especially compulsory safety systems that are more relevant to higher-speed driving than urban areas.