Angel Gaitanthe mechanic from Aranjuez who won a lawsuit against Teslais one of the greatest experts in electric cars of Spain and well known on social media. He has 1.7 million followers on TikTok alone, who follow his videos on repairs, tips, and opinions on the latest cars on the market. In a conversation with Libre Mercado, Gaitán has touched on a very well-known topic in the automotive world: «Is it possible to put an end to diesel and gasoline cars by 2035as the European Union intends?»
Ángel Gaitán and the zero emissions panorama
The sale of ICE cars, including non-plug-in hybrids, will be prohibited in the countries of the European Union from January 1, 2035. In addition, it is intended that by 2030, at least 5 million Spanish cars will be electric. However, according to the European Automobile Manufacturers Association (ACEA), registrations of this type barely represented a 10% of the total in the second quarter of the year. At this rate, it is difficult, if not impossible, to achieve this goal.
About, Angel Gaitan talk about him zero emissions landscape, where he states: “No way are we prepared for everyone to have an electric vehicle by 2035.” Being one of the first impediments the current energy crisis. It must be taken into account that most households already have two cars per family unit: «In my house I have had to redo my entire installation. I have installed photovoltaic energy, filled the roof of my house with plates and, with more than 9 kW of contracted power, since I connect the two cars and the oven at night, everything goes to hell. Besides, the electricity rate It has risen a lot and what used to be loading a car for 8-9 euros, now it’s 15-20 euros».
The second big problem is Shortage of charging points. «What used to be going to load the vehicle at a shopping center in a simple way, now it is not. Now the places are full, the chargers do not work, nothing is free anymore… Even the facilities of many companies that have electric charge no longer work or have abusive prices, “said Gaitán. And despite the fact that “it is still cheaper than the combustion engine”, the truth is that “Europe will have to make a turn in their strategy and they will have to stop or modify the Euro 7 standardbecause we are not prepared under any circumstances, “he assured.
Thirdly, forcing the population to switch to electric vehicles is that the initial expense is not limited to the purchase of the car: «Right now, with the current economic situation, you cannot tell people that they have to buy a car from €40,000make an investment of at least 20,000 euros at home to have a good infrastructure, a good network, a good charger… you can’t tell someone in the situation that we are in to make that effort, “he said.
Workshops and batteries
Although the repairs of electric cars are simpler than those of combustion cars, according to Gaitán, it is only to replace some parts with others, there are not enough workshops prepared.
“Here in the workshop there were two battery fires. With Storm Filomena, water fell on three batteries and two caught fire. The firefighters sealed off the workshop for 15 days because they didn’t know what to do. They filled it with sepiolite (an absorbent mineral), as I recommended, because they didn’t have an action plan. But it does not exist neither here nor in USAGaitán points out.
He even posted a video in their social networks during a car convention in Las Vegas where an electric car is seen to catch fire when it is stopped and turned off. He pointed out about it: “You have no idea how that smoke smelled. Firefighters spent more than an hour trying to put it out and gave up. And you have to think about the user who has that vehicle in his house. »
Gaitan insists that «we are not prepared, not much less. And 2035 is just around the corner. The market share is very small and will grow. But removing all combustion vehicles and inserting only electric vehicles is not viable.
Highly polluting lithium batteries
On the other hand, one of the main components of the batteries for these vehicles is the lithium, an expensive mineral, scarce and whose refinement is in the hands of China. Gaitán expresses that: «Right now there are not batteries for everyone«. In addition, “there is still a lot of research to be done. It is not possible that we have the problems that we have of autonomy.
Although he is a great defender of the electric, he acknowledges that every day he is “a little more disappointed with the management of the electric.” He mentions that the EU should consider how much is polluted to make an electric battery and the waste it generates when it becomes unusable.
Add: “Recycling a lithium battery today is unthinkable. I was here with four engineers who were working on a recycling project and separating the particles from the cells is so expensive that no one has wanted to do it. And my question is: What is being done with those batteries? I am reusing them to store electricity for a personal project. But what are manufacturers doing with those batteries? Does anyone control what is done?
“Waste has to be controlled. If I order 25 batteries, I should return another 25. But there is no control, neither where they end up nor how they are recycled », he indicates.
On the other hand, it ends by once again making clear the country’s lack of preparation in terms of electric cars. “Here there was no one who could manage that waste. We’re not even prepared. Is a change needed for things to get better? yes, but both cars are compatible. In the end there will be users of electric vehicles and users of thermal vehicles. We can’t do without those cars. », He closed.
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Font: Free market
