this post was submitted on 13 Mar 2024

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German opposition leaders vow to fight EU car ban plans (www.telegraph.co.uk)

submitted 5 months ago by [email protected] to c/[email protected]

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[–] [email protected] 64 points 5 months ago* (last edited 5 months ago) (2 children)

"We demand that our overly-complex, smog-emitting, mechanical automata become mandatory parts of Europeans' lives! Also, feel bad for us because climate change is literally killing us."

If the situation was swapped, and German conservatives thought it would be a good idea to replace electric motors with these horrible contraptions, we'd all be laughing at them. Just because you guys made a noisy smog centipede that doesn't completely suck doesn't mean they're a good idea.

The CDU just sound like a bunch of murderous luddites. Just let fossil fuels die before we all burn, for fuck's sake.

[–] [email protected] 44 points 5 months ago (1 children)

Their leaders are trying to fish in the far right pond. "Climate change isn't really real", they're just trying not to say it out loud to keep the few sensible voters they still have.

[–] [email protected] 17 points 5 months ago

It is a bit more complicated than that. Car manufacturing is one of the major industries, if not the major industry in Germany. Combustion engines require more parts and there is many supply companies, that are extremely specialized on these kind of parts. A company that is producing nothing but parts like inlet valves or pistons for combustion engines will probably go under.

Now that is normal and that is what a market economy is supposed to do. Also companies that have looked ahead strategically have been diversifying their products and branched into new products, where they can use their existing expertise too. But many companies just used their power to lobby against change, now being unprepared for it.

This is why conservatism, especially when it focuses on maintaining established industries and companies while blocking off new industries and companies is deadly to a countries economy in the long run. But they can't and don't want to see this, as they only think a year or two ahead, and not two decades.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 5 months ago

I appreciate the way you phrase things.

[–] [email protected] 13 points 5 months ago

"German right leaders vow to fight European right ICE car ban plans."

This is a European election year, maybe it's time to recognize the political positions and stop identifying the EU as some undefined force.

[–] [email protected] 11 points 5 months ago

Sadly an expected position from the CDU, so even if FDP isn't in the next government, we'll still have someone protecting the sanctity of cars in Germany...

[–] Ziggurat 7 points 5 months ago* (last edited 5 months ago) (2 children)

So after closing the nuclear power plants to open coal plants they want to foget about the ban on petrol-powered car ? CDU immer gut fuers Klimat.

[–] [email protected] 7 points 5 months ago

closing the nuclear power plants to open coal plants

Coal power has been steadily decreasing and is at the lowest level in 60 years.
There is enough stupidity to criticize in politics without having to make up new issues.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 5 months ago

The FDP is even worse in that regard.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 5 months ago (1 children)

Porsche did some records on Track with their newest EV, they also had a better lap time than their own high end ICE car. I wondered how many car enthusiast got an aneurysm.

https://www.deseret.com/business/2024/03/11/porsche-fastest-lap-record-electric-vehicle/

[–] [email protected] 6 points 5 months ago (1 children)

Unfortunately people don't care about sports driving. They care about having the fastest car on the Autobahn, where the "track" is mostly straight.

It should not come at a suprise that EVs are better suited for racing once developed. Faster acceleration and decelleration are key on raceways.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 5 months ago (1 children)

Wouldn't EVs have worse deceleration due to extra weight?

[–] [email protected] 1 points 5 months ago

They use engine deceleration and through that can even regain some energy. Now that you mention it, i am not sure, whether this factor is stronger than the added weight.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 5 months ago

A rearguard action as ever there was one

[–] [email protected] 2 points 5 months ago

The phaseout of fossil fuel cars required a qualified majority. That means that as long as two out of Germany, France, Poland, Spain and Italy are for it, it is going to stay. Also some other votes are needed, but that is basically it.

Also the CDU needs a coalition partner and that means either SPD or Greens, which voted for the phase out, or AFD at which point the problem of smoke from cars is the least problem in Germany.