The EU’s attitude to Chinese electric cars “smacks of protectionism” and prioritises European carmakers over the planet, one of Ireland’s leading transport experts has claimed. 

Earlier this month, a majority of EU member states voted to significantly increase tariffs on Chinese EVs imported into the bloc. 

Beijing provides generous subsidies to its car manufacturing industries and some member states believe this means Chinese companies can unfairly undercut European businesses. 

Our proposal to impose definitive countervailing duties on imports of battery electric vehicles (BEVs) from China has obtained the necessary support from EU countries.

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— European Commission (@EU_Commission) October 4, 2024

On The Pat Kenny Show, transport expert Conor Faughnan said it would inevitably delay Europe’s transition away from petrol and diesel motors. 

“Incidentally, the German car industry is totally against it because they think the counter measures will block them out of the Chinese market,” he said. 

“So, escalating tariffs is not really in anybody’s interest when the strategic plan is to get us all to move to electric vehicles. 

“The European Commission seems only to think of their European electric vehicles.” 

Under the 2021 Climate Action Plan, the Government set a target of 30% EVs on Irish roads by the end of the decade. 

Since then, subsidies for electric vehicles have been reduced and between January and July this year, sales for new EVs were 24% lower than in the same period last in 2023.

“European Governments are part of the problem here,” Mr Faughnan said. 

“They’ve been chipping away at incentives for EVs and EV sales have fallen as a market share across Europe but where countries have withdrawn subsidies - like Germany, like Ireland - the fall off has been even more severe.

“Contrast that with a country like Norway - which has made a tremendous success of it with a 90% plus market share for EVs in Norway.” 

An electric Vehicle charging station. Image: SOPA Images/SIPA USA/PA Images

Mr Faughnan said the European Commission’s view on the matter “smacks of protectionism” and they have lost their “strategic vision” when it comes to climate change. 

“The purpose here is to switch from fossil fuels to electric vehicles - we all know the reasons why,” he said. 

“In Europe it seems to be, ‘Switch from fossil fuels to electric vehicles but only if they’re European electric vehicles and be prepared to pay a bit more for them.’”

The Chinese Government has described the tariff increase as “unfair” and “unreasonable”.

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Main image: An EV charging. Picture by: Alamy.com