Nothing has been decided, but the Ministry of the Interior is “considering” no longer deducting points for mini-speeding less than 5 km / h. And that’s not nothing, because these minor excesses represent 58% of speeding offences. That is, 7 million out of a total of 13 million tickets. Obviously, such a proposal a few weeks before the legislative elections is not fortuitous. But she looks pretty good. Especially since the fines would be maintained. And we can understand it, when we know that these mini overruns represent the trifle of 400 million euros. Unsurprisingly, associations such as Road Prevention or the league against road violence are indignant. But for other organizations, like 40 million motorists, it is a real change from a rather repressive policy carried out in recent years, with in particular the very controversial limit to 80 km / h on departmental roads.
Will the lack of raw materials slow down the rise of electric cars?
This is the threat of the International Energy Agency. In its annual report on the electrification of the fleet, it reveals that sales of electric cars have doubled in one year and now represent 10% of new car sales. However, be careful, because there may be tensions on certain materials. Thus, lithium needs should be multiplied by six by 2030, which would require the opening of 50 new mines. Europe produces a quarter of electric cars, but controls very few raw materials, just like the United States. The majority of the supply chain is expected to remain Chinese until 2030, the agency warns.
And in turn, the French automotive industry urges caution.
The PFA, the automotive industry platform, goes even further. She believes that the Brussels Commission did not take into account the financial cost of switching to electricity, in particular with the soaring prices of energy and raw materials since the war in Ukraine. Based on a study by the Eurométaux group, she writes that by 2050 Europe will need 35 times more lithium than today, 26 times more rare earths, and twice as much nickel. .. So many essential elements for electric cars. Not to mention copper, the needs of which are also growing very rapidly. The PFA does not forget either to brandish the 100,000 jobs that are threatened by 2035 in the sector.
And to finish, a record auction.
It’s no joke: a 1955 Mercedes, of which there are only two copies, was sold at the beginning of May for 135 million euros. A crazy sum for this 300 SLR coupé which was sold during a confidential sale, organized by Sotheby’s at the Mercedes museum in Stuttgart. This collector’s item sold for three times more than a 1962 Ferrari 250 GTO, which until now held the record. It had been sold in 2018 for more than 48 million dollars. The car was sold to a private collector and the proceeds “will be used to set up an international Mercedes-Benz fund for scholarships and research training for young people in environmental science.”