
Please try another search
ZURICH (Reuters) - The Swiss car importers lobby hit back on Monday at the government's proposal to limit the use of electric vehicles in any power crunch, saying the mere suggestion could prompt consumers to opt for autos that burn fossil fuels.
"Our members and their official brand dealers promote electric cars with great effort, from advertising to personal
sales pitches. Now the Federal Council (cabinet) comes up with this possible rule - a disservice to electromobility," said Andreas Burgener, director of the auto-schweiz importers group.
"Customers who buy or order a vehicle now will think twice about whether they should go back to petrol or diesel."
The government has proposed a series of increasingly tough measures to conserve energy as shortages of gas and power loom that could lead to rationing in a worst-case scenario.
One draft rule would curb the private use of electric vehicles unless urgently needed for work, shopping, or visiting the doctor or religious ceremonies.
The proposal is putting a chill on sales of electric cars, jeopardising the sector's prospects of reaching targets for reducing carbon emissions, auto-schweiz said.
A survey among its members had shown the market share of electric cars and plug-in hybrids could rise to over 50% in 2025 from just under half now, it added.
The government has said it could curb non-essential use of power, such as illuminating shop windows, using mobile heaters, or lighting at night. It could order around 30,000 companies to save up to 30% of power usage in an extreme scenario. As a last resort it could shut parts of the grid in revolving blackouts.
Are you sure you want to block %USER_NAME%?
By doing so, you and %USER_NAME% will not be able to see any of each other's Investing.com's posts.
%USER_NAME% was successfully added to your Block List
Since you’ve just unblocked this person, you must wait 48 hours before renewing the block.
I feel that this comment is:
Thank You!
Your report has been sent to our moderators for review
Add a Comment
We encourage you to use comments to engage with other users, share your perspective and ask questions of authors and each other. However, in order to maintain the high level of discourse we’ve all come to value and expect, please keep the following criteria in mind:
Enrich the conversation, don’t trash it.
Stay focused and on track. Only post material that’s relevant to the topic being discussed.
Be respectful. Even negative opinions can be framed positively and diplomatically. Avoid profanity, slander or personal attacks directed at an author or another user. Racism, sexism and other forms of discrimination will not be tolerated.
Perpetrators of spam or abuse will be deleted from the site and prohibited from future registration at Investing.com’s discretion.