Eurocommissioners complain about long electric car ride to Strasbourg

©Hassan Anayi via Unsplash

To set an example, since 2022, several Eurocommissioners have been provided with electric cars for their monthly 440-kilometer drive from Brussels to Strasbourg, where the Commission meets every month. However, this journey, which has often been criticized, doesn't go as smoothly as it hoped: the electric cars have too short a range and have to stop in between to recharge. The more than five hour drive thus becomes 20 to 30 minutes longer, and commissioners have to wait in highway parking lots when they would rather go home.

The cabinets of several Eurocommissioners disclosed the situation to the leading U.S. political news organization Politico, which is headquartered in Brussels.

The complaining Eurocommissioners were referred to Budget Commissioner Piotr Serafin for a solution. A resolution to the problem is sow being taught of in various ways. For example, Hungarian Eurocommissioner Olivér Várhelyi is said to sometimes abandoned the electric car and travel by van. Others deliberately have their drivers drive slower to increase range, sometimes making the trip take up to seven hours. It is said that commissioners refuse to travel on specially hired high-speed train for fear of listening in from passengers.

The decision to purchase electric official cars dates back to the time of former Eurocommissioner Frans Timmermans, who also implemented rules to force car manufacturers to produce electric vehicles. Moreover, starting in 2028, there will be a climate tax at a European level. Car manufacturers, however, warn that consumers are not yet ready for full electrification. Under European Commissioner Wopke Hoekstra, the first steps have already been taken to tone down these green measures, but how far that will go is still unclear.

©Hassan Anayi via Unsplash