[WATCH] Low emission cars: changeover must not burden motorists

Low emission cars: changeover must not burden motorists

Malta’s shift to emission-free cars will be gradual and take place over a number years so as to not have a negative impact.

Labour MEP Miriam Dalli, now tasked to oversee Malta’s changeover to zero and low-emission vehicles (ZLEVs), has been at the forefront of a recent EU agreement to have cars and vans emit 37.5% less carbon dioxide by 2030.

Next year, the government will announce the date on which Malta will halt the importation and sale of fossil fuel powered cars. Prime Minister Joseph Muscat said he wants Malta to be one of the first countries in Europe to switch its vehicles to electric, suggesting a changeover over the next 10 or 20 years.

The prospect raises the issue of whether consumers should be planning ahead to buy electric cars, which also carry a hefty price tag.

But Dalli says Malta should not be constrained with just one technology. “That is why we will be studying technological advancements while analysing social and economic factors,” Dalli said, adding that more electric-powered, hydrogen-powered and plug-in hybrids will all be made more available on the market within the next years.

Dalli, whose emission-reduction law inspired a European-wide political course, predicts that more major car companies will be investing in emission-free vehicles – a factor that has ramifications for the cost of these vehicles. “The number of available plug-in hybrids and electric cars in 2019 stand at 60; by the end of 2020 we will have 176 car models, and by 2025 we will have 333 models available on the market,” she said.

What this could mean for consumers is greater choice, and hopefully lower prices.

As of June 2019, 3,280 cars on Maltese roads were either hybrids or electric vehicles, and Dalli insists that the numbers will continue to rise.

“People who have cars which work with an internal combustion engine, will need to replace it, and we as policymakers must guarantee that when that time comes, the prices of emission free vehicles are as affordable as combustion powered automobiles,” she said.

Yet the changeover to electric and hybrid vehicles also opens up an infrastructural challenge. Where will motorists be able to charge their vehicles, how fast will charging take – as opposed to the one-minute filling up of a car – and what will people without home charging points or garages do?

Dalli agrees that there will be the need for more charging points on the island as more electric vehicles are introduced on Maltese roads. “Our job in the coming months will be that of ensuring that people who switch to electric vehicles have the appropriate facilities to make that switch, while also enjoying affordable and reasonable prices.”

While the switch to alternative mobility will contribute towards mitigating the world’s climate emergency, on the other end of the spectrum, people who make a living off the industry may have to reinvent the way they approach their job.

Veteran mechanic Raymond Cutajar, who has been in the trade for over 40 years, says there will be plenty of time for professional reskilling, and that while components related to the traditional engine will change, the car’s other parts, such as braking systems and suspensions, will not change radically. “Mechanics who work with car importers will have an advantage over those who don’t, for these companies want to ensure proper after-sale service on these cars. They will be trained on emerging technologies, keeping them ahead of the curve on electric powered vehicles.”

A less enthusiastic supporter of the changeover is Alfred Farrugia, president of the Malta Automobile Club, who thinks it should be the market that guides consumers to electric vehicles, rather than the government. “I do believe that there will come a time when people will choose alternative mobility to the traditional combustion engine, but the government shouldn’t make that decision for us,” he said.