The World Is Going Electric, With Or Without Us. Now Is The Time For Leadership. - CleanTechnica

The article from CleanTechnica argues against weakening the European Union’s CO2 emissions targets for cars, emphasizing that maintaining strict standards is crucial for European automakers to remain competitive in the global electric vehicle (EV) market. It highlights that EV sales are rapidly increasing worldwide, especially in China and emerging markets, and Europe is currently experiencing an EV boom driven by these emissions targets. For example, Volkswagen boosted its EV sales by 89% in early 2025 by improving electric models and lowering prices in response to EU regulations. Despite pressure from some carmakers to relax the 2030 and 2035 targets, the article stresses that these rules are essential for sustaining Europe’s automotive industry’s global competitiveness. Most European manufacturers are reportedly on track to meet the upcoming emissions targets, with Mercedes-Benz being the notable exception, potentially needing to purchase credits to comply. The article criticizes carmakers lobbying to slow the transition to EVs, including efforts to continue selling less efficient plug-in hybrids and advocating for costly