Does the situation call into question the abandonment of thermal energy?

In recent months, bankruptcies and fragile situations have increased for electric car manufacturers. This week, it was the turn of Lucid Motors, Rivian and HiPhi, three electric car manufacturers that are just arriving in Europe. In your opinion, does this call call into question the abandonment of thermal engines planned for 2035 in Europe? This is the poll question of the week.

The situation for the electric car market is tense, to say the least. Especially in Europe and the United States. We found that in January 2024, the market share of electric cars in Europe was in free fall. The reason: the end of subsidies in some countries, but also customer expectations for the imminent arrival of more affordable models such as the Citroen ë-C3 or the Renault 5 e-Tech.

Bankruptcy in sight

In Europe, again, we can cite the extremely fragile financial situation in which Lucid Motors finds itself, with a loss of $377,000 per car per sale! In case you don’t know, it’s the American manufacturer to whom we owe the famous Lucid Air, with its 800 km of autonomy on the WLTP mixed cycle.

We can also cite Rivian, an American manufacturer of electric cars financed by Amazon and which plans to arrive in Europe in the coming months with its future R2T and R2S models. The situation is perhaps less worrisome for Lucid, but Elon Musk faces bankruptcy within the next 18 months if the company’s financial trajectory doesn’t change.

Aiways, a Chinese manufacturer also present in Europe, is also in a tense situation with production shutdowns and massive restructuring at the head of the manufacturer. A situation reminiscent of HiPhi, a Chinese brand recently arrived in Europe that is shutting down production for six months to avoid imminent bankruptcy.

American Lordstown declared bankruptcy last year. However, it was backed by Foxconn, which is known as one of the manufacturers of Apple iPhones.

A radical change in strategy?

In short, things are going badly for some electric car manufacturers, so Mercedes is announcing a radical change in its strategy. If the German manufacturer planned to sell only 100% electric cars in its range from 2030, the German company has decided to change its plans. It will indeed continue to produce thermal and hybrid models, even if its results are drastically reduced.

This is not the case for other manufacturers, including Tesla and BYD, which monopolize the first two places on the podium, the Volkswagen group (which is going through difficult times) and all its brands, number 3, which. Continues to grow, but struggles to catch up with its competitors. Tesla and BYD lead the race with phenomenal annual growth.

Remember that in Europe, in 2035, car manufacturers will no longer have the right to sell new thermal cars. They must be 100% electric, whether battery or hydrogen fuel cells.

And if you have any doubts about the electric car vs thermal car comparison, we have a very detailed specification file that explains why an electric car is two to three times less polluting than its thermal counterpart over its entire life cycle.

Question of the week

So we come to the question of the week: Do you think the current situation calls into question the ban on the sale of new thermal cars in Europe in 2035?

Feel free to state your reasons for your choice in the comments and discuss politely and respectfully.