It all started with an interview given by the Minister of the Environment, Pedro Matos Fernandes, to Antena 1 and to Jornal de Negócios. In this one, Pedro Matos Fernandes stated that “ Today it is very evident that whoever buys a Diesel car will most likely not have great value in exchange in four or five years' time.”.
In the same interview, the Ministry of Environment declared that "In the next decade it will not make sense to buy a diesel car because it will already be very close to the purchase price of an electric car".
However, Pedro Matos Fernandes rejected the creation of a system for scrapping diesel cars in exchange for an tram, claiming that he does not know of any country in which subsidies for the acquisition of an electric vehicle are much higher than those existing in Portugal (2250 euros for each new electric car).
the reactions
Unsurprisingly, these statements not only caused confusion and controversy in the automobile sector, but also led to the emergence of various reactions.
Among the associations that decided to support Pedro Matos Fernandes' declarations is the environmental association Zero , who in statements to Lusa stated that “the perspective of the Ministry of Environment is fully in line with the perspective we have in relation to the evolution of automotive technology in the near future”.
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In turn, the ACAP issued a statement in which it affirms that the declarations of the Minister for the Environment not only do not correspond to reality, but that there is no European regulation that points in the same direction. In the same statement, ACAP states that, although 40% of the models announced for 2021 will have an electric version, the transition to electric cars should be gradual.
already the ACP , accuses the Minister of the Environment of ignorance, stating that "The "efficiency" that he advocates for automobile electrification clashes with reality and the national economy" . The ACP also recalls that “The Euro 6 technology in force and the Euro 7, mandatory in 2023, guarantee drastically reduced emissions which means that combustion is here to stay, more efficient and environmentally sustainable”.
Another of the associations that joined the criticism leveled at the Ministry of Environment's declarations was the Portuguese Leasing, Factoring and Renting Association (ALF) , which in a publicized statement states that the statement by Matos Fernandes “has no technical basis and can only be understood in a political context out of step with the reality of the automotive sector”.
Aging car park is a problem
The Portuguese Automobile Trade Association (ACAP) also took the opportunity to deplore the fact that the Ministry of the Environment has “successfully rejected the implementation of a vehicle scrapping incentive program” that would allow a renewal of the car park with an average age of 12.6 years.The ACP questioned the minister about existing plans to ensure that the electricity grid is prepared for massive consumption associated with the increase in electric cars or about how the electricity necessary to sustain the needs of public and private mobility will be produced.
Market grew but remains small
Finally, ACAP also took the opportunity to mention that, despite the percentage of electric car sales have grown by 148% last year and Portugal being the third country in the European Union with the highest percentage of sales of electric cars, these only correspond to 1.8% of the national market, and even adding plug-in hybrids to the equation, sales do not amount to more than 4% of the total market.
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