Speaking at an industry seminar in Brussels, Volvo Car Corporation’s president and chief executive officer, Stefan Jacoby, said the Commission’s approach to electromobility was threatening jobs, investment and competitiveness in the region.

He added that the Commission’s White Paper on Transport, which calls for greenhouse gas emissions to be cut by at least 60% by 2050 and conventionally-fuelled cars to be halved by 2030 and phased out by 2050 to meet EU climate change goals, were unrealistic.

In 2011, 500,000 battery electric vehicles were sld globally, equivalent to a 0.1% sales share and suggesting the car market would be dominated by the internal combustion engine for the forseeable future. The EC’s own study points to a market share of between 3-4% by 2020, rising to 30% by 2030.

‘European car manufacturers are facing a very difficult challenge when CO2 legislations requiring electrified cars are implemented without initiatives that make these cars affordable for a growing number of consumers,’ he said.

‘Both predictions are unrealistic. Considering the lack of coordinated governmental incentives and the high battery system costs, the market share for electrified vehicles will struggle to pass the one percent mark by 2020.’