Aston Martin Is Furious About The UK's 'Disastrous Or Pointless' Internal Combustion Ban
The internal combustion ban is ‘either disastrous or pointless’, according to the CEO of Aston Martin, whose development plans may have been radically altered by the move.
Andy Palmer has hit out at the proposals that fail to take into account potential British job losses, for example at internal combustion engine plants like Ford’s in Bridgend. Speaking to Autocar, he said:
“It’s not thinking about the consequential effects to the 800,000 people in our industry. It’s not taking into account the impact to things like petrol station garages and the [Ford employees] who have been making engines in Bridgend.”
He went further than that, indicating that the move will waste vast amounts of money that has been and is being poured into clean combustion technologies by a wide variety of car makers. The former Nissan man also said a move to all-electric cars would harm the British economy because manufacturers like Aston Martin would have to source batteries and associated technology from the Far East, “where they’ve been working on it with government aid for years” instead of building their own engines.
The UK government has pledged £2.7 billion to help improve the infrastructure needed to persuade people into electric and hybrid cars, but Palmer says more is essential if companies like Aston Martin are to stay in the UK after Brexit:
“We’re all in this, so if the government want us to throw away our engines, then it has to work with us – or it’s the straw that breaks the camel’s back. We don’t have the might of Volkswagen or BMW behind us for budget.
“(The timing) is the worst possible because it’s far enough away to not be of immediate concern, but close enough that it affects investment decisions. We’re trying to keep a car business in the United Kingdom.”
Comments
Aston you the real MVP
Good guy Aston
Thankfully the AM CEO seems to have a working brain, unlike the the UK goverment.
Finally someone with influence with the guts to speak out
Pointless?? POINTLESS??? As a member of ct who cannot legally drive on the road for age reasons (I’ll be there soon) The ban is not pointless. If countries like ours do not start paving the way for an electric future the world will continue killing itself slowly at the expense of MY GENERATION. Other countries will follow. Plus, the rulebook is yet to be decided on how much electricity is to be used in these cars, you may only need to provide a small amount of electrical power to pass these tests. People need to suck it up that the future for not just cars is changing, do you want it better or worse.
What he’s saying: “save the jobs!”
What he’s thinking: “save the V12!”
Honestly lemme ask you a question CTzens. Would you rather have everyone drive petrol cars, and have petrol for 20 more years. Or give EVs to non car people and have petrol for the next 50 years? Also most of you hate EVs becouse you don’t have self formed opinion, you just hate them becouse someone popular stuffed hatred for EVs in your head.
All I have is two quotes. “Car is a car, nothing less, nothing more”
“If it has four wheels and some tires it’s a car”
Most of you say “real car guys respect all cars” but when someone drives a Prius, or and EV you jump to hate.
Sure, we need electric ships, and planes, but be realistic, it’s easier for us to change, than for boat industry to change.
EVs are good, hell I bet CT even said an Electric Smart was fun to drive.
The greatest thing God gave to humans is adaptibility. We should adapt to the world, not world to us. We will have fun drag racing EVs as much as we have drag racing petrol cars.
This is aimed mostly at people who belive R34 can defeat a Rimac Concept_S in a drag race.
BR-ASTON-EXIT!!!!!!!!! #MAKEITHAPPEN ASTON DA MVP
What’s the point tho. Clearly EVs are the future of automobile technology, and the only viable one. Sooner or later the same petrol bans will be everywhere.
What the crapballs