00:00For us, the key theme of this edition is stepping up, not stepping back, because we see we're at a very critical time of the electric vehicle transition, especially here in Europe, where we need to double down and push forwards and not get caught up in a lot of the tensions which are impacting the world today.
00:15So a chance for us to come together, chart the path forwards with confidence and bring all of those insights back afterwards as well.
00:23And what we can see across Europe is it's still a big patchwork of progress when it comes to electric mobility.
00:28So what we try and do is connect the dots in Brussels to provide a clear view from the European level, but then to cascade that down to the member states too.
00:37And based on your experience, what does work and what doesn't?
00:41Well, definitely what works is a smart, sustainable approach to incentivising demand.
00:45We've seen member states in Europe try and just add subsidies for electric vehicles.
00:50The problem then is they can't continue that going for the long run.
00:54What's more effective is, for example, to use the tax system of a country to advantage electric vehicles while disadvantaging fossil fuel cars.
01:01And that allows you to do really healthy, sustainable and stable incentives, which are not going to break the bank for cash-constrained member states.
01:10So how do EU member states subsidise this nascent industry?
01:15It very much differs from member states to member states. Some have just tried to subsidise the cost.
01:21There are some very good examples we have, for example, in Belgium.
01:24Belgium have a very favourable tax regime for corporate fleets.
01:28So in Belgium, one in three cars sold this year are electric, which is showing how incentives can work.
01:35China is a leading player in e-mobility, especially when it comes to electric vehicle innovations, battery supply chains and rare earth supplies.
01:43So how do you see China? Do you see more of competition or cooperation?
01:49Clearly, China has very important advantages in key areas, from battery production to electric vehicle technology and more.
01:57I think in Europe we've realised that we have to work out how to leverage this expertise in a way that's good for all parties.
02:04And the United States has rolled out sweeping tariffs on the US car imports.
02:09And how is the European Union's EV sector coping with that?
02:14The US tariffs have brought just massive uncertainty and friction into an already strained global market and global supply chains.
02:22And I think whoever you ask, adding global friction right now is a bad idea.
02:27So whether you're operating in Europe or elsewhere in the world, these tariffs are having an impact.
02:31This is the time when our car companies need to be ready to invest into electric vehicles, into pushing these technologies forwards.
02:38Any friction which we're introducing at a global level is only going to remove our capacity to do that.
02:43What does the next phase of growth look like for e-mobility? Where do we go from here?
02:48We're this year bringing a lot of new models, electric car models, into the European market because we have new CO2 limits.
02:55So there's going to be 14 new car models in Europe under the €25,000 price point.
02:59So now is a really critical year where we have to speed up the electric vehicle transition to make it really work.
03:04So I think it really is a question right now of industry, governments coming together and making sure we have the conditions in Europe to chart that path forwards.
03:14And making sure we bring consumers along for the ride too.
03:16So I think we still think the future is obviously going to be electric and we hope that Europe can stay the course, work collaboratively with partners while also having a clear objective for growing its own industry and prosperity as well.
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