European automotive lobby group calls for Japan-like kei vehicle regulations for small EVs

Cute and designed to handle tight urban environments, Japan’s keijidosha or light vehicles category is admired by fans outside of Japan for their adorable size and domestically for their practicality and various purchasing benefits.

This unique regulation was initially conceived as a way by the post-WWII Japanese government to help boost the country’s economy but is seen by a European automotive lobby group as a benchmark for future city electric vehicles (EVs).

Autocar UK reported that ACEA, the European lobbyist in question, has called for the introduction of regulations similar to the kei car segment that would work in favour of small EVs.

Led by ACEA president, Luca de Meo who is also Renault Group CEO, the lobby group has presented the outlines of a new manifesto designed to persuade lawmakers to loosen some restrictions for small EV purchases and owners. These include reduced purchase tax, lower road tolls, easier access to city centres, and not being subjected to the same parking restrictions as regular cars.

Also read: Even Japanese driving schools don’t use Kei cars, is our Perodua Axia even good enough?

“A- and B-segment cars are not profitable any more because automakers have to produce cars dressed up like Christmas trees,” de Meo said in light of carmakers facing increasingly complex regulations for the production of cars regardless of size. “It doesn’t make a difference if it’s a Clio or a big limo.”

In the proposed European “kei class”, battery size could be smaller or restricted to make sure costs remain low and are better suited to customers’ vehicle needs. The ACEA president/Renault Group CEO gave an example of an average journey profile of the Dacia Spring EV in his presentation.

In it, he quoted that an average Spring user might only journey 19 miles (30 km) a day at an average of 16 mph (25 km/h). “So you don’t need a 100 kWh battery which is an ecological disaster anyway,” de Meo said. The China-produced Spring itself is juiced up by a 27.4 kWh Li-ion battery.

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Small EVs have seen a boom in China with the likes of the Wuling Hongguang Mini EV and the Geely Panda Mini raking up monthly sales. Europe which was once the haven of city cars like the Smart Fortwo, Ford Ka, and Volkswagen Up has seen the entry-level model segment become a victim of rising regulatory costs and inability to reduce CO2 at a lower cost.

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Because of this, European carmakers have discontinued most entry-level models such as the ones mentioned in favour of more profitable SUVs. These small city cars are more at home in the crowded and small European roads but for ACEA some of these new European Union (EU) regulations are more of a burden.

While switching to EVs addresses the CO2 issue, the cost of batteries is still generally high, making it far out of reach in the affordable segment. In light of this, de Meo told Autocar UK, “We think we can propose something that addresses the usage without the cost of a car that has to do everything.”

Some European countries allow small quadricycles to be driven without a license albeit with a reduced speed limit. Models like the Citroen Ami fall in this category but they are more like glorified golf karts than actual cars like the Japanese kei cars or even the Chinese micro EVs.

The creation of a new kei car-like regulation for small, low-cost EVs in the EU would help automakers reduce their CO2 burden in the run-up to the end of internal combustion engine (ICE) reliant cars by 2035, said de Meo. “It is an example of the industry proposing solutions rather than defending positions.”