DREAM / The Prime Minister resigns and wakes up under the Parisian bridge!

 Kliko këtu për të tjera
Voxpress:

Electric cars are annoying EC leaders for an unusual reason

2026-05-27 14:38:30Kosova&Bota SHKRUAR NGA REDAKSIA VOX

Electric cars are annoying EC leaders for an unusual reason

European commissioners are annoyed that their trips to Strasbourg include a stop at a gas station in Luxembourg to recharge their electric vehicles - whose batteries cannot fully cope with the 440-kilometer distance from Brussels.

The roadside break has become a growing source of frustration for some of Ursula von der Leyen's top team, officials from the offices of three commissioners told POLITICO, as the EU executive's green fleet struggles to make the regular trip to the European Parliament right away.

The cars provided by the Commission to transport President von der Leyen and her commissioners to official duties - need about 20 to 30 minutes plugged into a roadside outlet, turning an already long five-hour journey into an even longer chore, officials from a total of eight cabinets said.

Their complaints echo those of political groups and industry lobbyists, who say the Commission is pushing for a green transition to happen faster than consumer habits – or charging infrastructure – allow.

While the Commission wanted to phase out the sale of new combustion engine vehicles from 2035 onwards, the car industry and its political backers have repeatedly said that infrastructure and purchasing habits are not in place by that time frame. Consumers often cite anxiety about range as a key reason not to buy an electric vehicle.

The cars are part of the Commission's efforts to make its operations greener - a 2022 push during von der Leyen's first term, reaffirmed last December, to make its fleet of 128 vehicles completely zero-emission by 2027. According to a Commission spokesperson, roughly 80 percent of the fleet is now electric.

Another official said the fleet includes large BMW models unsuitable for long-distance travel without recharging. The commission did not confirm the model of vehicle used in the fleet.

The Commission has waived emissions targets for European carmakers, allowing all engine types after 2035 as long as brands include climate offsets. But the relief has not yet reached its own staff.

The issue of charging stops was raised during a meeting of the College of Commissioners earlier this year, another official said, after a commissioner complained about concerns about electric vehicles. They were told to discuss the issue with Budget Commissioner Piotr Serafin, who deals with administration.

The alternative to stopping is to drive the car at low speed along the highway to save battery power.

“But it doesn’t really work,” said an official working for a frustrated commissioner, who was granted anonymity to speak candidly like others in this article. The journey can be extended by up to seven hours this way, another official said.

Commissioners are reluctant to take the train to Strasbourg because they might have to make sensitive phone calls along the way, said an official working for a second annoyed commissioner. But they are also unhappy about having to stop to recharge, sometimes late at night, after long weeks of plenary when they can't wait to get back to Brussels, they said.

One commissioner appears to have found another way to solve the problem: Three officials said Hungary’s Oliver Varhelyi has occasionally traveled to Strasbourg in a van with his team, abandoning his official car. Varhelyi’s office did not respond to POLITICO’s request for comment.

Von der Leyen is also exempt from the headaches caused by electric vehicles. The Commission president's car must be armored for security reasons, an official said, adding that no suitable armored electric model is currently available.

The Commission is expected to present its long-awaited electrification plan in July, after the package fell short of its original mid-June deadline. As part of the plan, the EU executive is expected to unveil what officials describe as an “ambitious electrification target.”

The package was first announced in April by von der Leyen as part of the EU's broader effort to reduce dependence on fossil fuels following the Middle East crisis.

"We also need to accelerate the electrification of our economy, of our industrial operations, of the way we heat our homes, of our mobility," the Commission president said at the time.


Në përputhje me standarded JTI

Video

SHIKO KANALIN NE YOUTUBE
×