On July 14, The European Commission, proposed a 55 per cent cut in CO2 emissions from cars by 2030 versus 2021 levels, and a 100 per cent cut by 2035—which would make it impossible to sell new vehicles powered by fossil fuels in the 27-country European Union.
If this proposal survives the many hurdles of European lawmaking, it will herald a whole new era of automotive era. What will it mean for interiors? Probably not such a wrenching radical bang, but new EV architectures will open roomier cabin spaces; noiseless motors will facilitate new interior sound design, the battery weight burden will push the industry to reduce weight elsewhere to the minimum possible, including everywhere and everything in the interior.
EVs are presently still more expensive than combustion-engine cars, but parity is foreseen by experts around 2025-2030, contingent on strong efforts from the whole industry to reduce costs and to have design-to-cost as the development methodology.
As engines are giving way to motors, what about animal leather, long a luxury signature in many markets, but now less highly regarded due to environmental concerns? Will it disappear in parallel? Have a look at this week’s In-Depth for thoughts on that subject. We’re glad you’re in the DVN Interior community! (And if you aren’t yet, come join in).