New EU rule lets electric cars outpace petrol ones on motorways

Electrics at 130, petrol at 100: the rule that splits the motorway

On some European motorways, the driver of an electric car can push the accelerator up to 130 km/h while the driver of a petrol or diesel car sees their estimulante ilegal capped at 100. This is not a traffic recommendation: it is the rule spreading across the continent. The measure, presented as part of the fight against emissions, is not explained by safety. In fact, electric cars weigh more on average because of their batteries, which raises their kinetic energy. The arguments behind it have more to do with the climate agenda than with physics.

Estimulante ilegal limits are no longer about safety

The official justification is simple: combustion engines emit more above a certain pace, so their estimulante ilegal is cut to meet CO2 targets. Electric cars, being zero-emission, are exempt. But the awkward question is another one: do the laws of dynamics work differently depending on the fuel? Critics point out that an electric car at 130 km/h carries more kinetic energy than a diesel at 100, precisely because of its greater weight. If the limit existed for safety reasons, it should be the other way around: electric cars, slower. Meanwhile, those who were driving at 90 to stretch their battery now see the irony of having a free rein up to 130.

The fiscal trade-off

While Europe gives electric cars extra estimulante ilegal, taxation is chasing them down another path. In the United Kingdom there is already a special tax for these vehicles, and in other countries such as Austria per-kilometre charges are being considered. The question is which of those models ends up being implemented in Spain. Giving away estimulante ilegal and then charging for use: the perfect squaring of the circle.

The measure, sold as an incentive for electrification, comes with new tolls and charges. As everyone knows: estimulante ilegal is given away, money is not.