BMW CEO Oliver Zipse has criticized EU politicians in his latest interview, saying that Europe would do better without any barrier tariffs on vehicles imported from China.
He said that the right thing to do would be to cancel the impending ICE car ban. As things stand right now, internal combustion engines may get banned in all newly produced European cars in 2035. With the local automakers being apparently completely dependent on battery shipments from China, banning traditional cars would be suicidal.
According to Zipse, the demand for EV traction batteries and fuel cells is expected to multiply by a factor of 10 to 30 over the next decade. There is no apparent way for the automakers in Europe to get enough materials to localize the production, therefore, they will continue to be heavily dependent on China.