“It’s Over for Gas Cars After 2030”: Auto Veteran Predicts the Unstoppable Rise of Electric Vehicles

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• From Carburetors to Quiet Batteries: The Journey of Manuel Palma
• The Changing Auto Landscape: Challenges and Hard Truths
• Europe’s Slip and the Call for Action
• Beyond Cars: An Entrepreneur’s Philosophy and Personal Transition

“It’s Over for Gas Cars After 2030”: Auto Veteran Predicts the Unstoppable Rise of Electric Vehicles

From Carburetors to Quiet Batteries: The Journey of Manuel Palma

When you think of a Spanish car magnate, you might conjure up images of slick suits and fast drives. But Manuel Palma, born in Córdoba in 1959, started his career quite literally under the hood—as a mechanic. Quickly realizing that there was more fortune to be made not just fixing cars but buying and selling them, Palma shifted gears. In the 1980s, he settled in Valencia, and over four decades became one of Spain’s most recognized car dealers. The numbers speak for themselves: over 150,000 cars sold, across a network of a dozen dealerships, as he witnessed the industry morph from the age of carburetors to the dawn of electric mobility.

The Changing Auto Landscape: Challenges and Hard Truths

“In my best years, I sold 7,000 cars annually,” Palma recalls—a figure that would make most modern dealers’ eyes water. But those days are now as vintage as drum brakes. Where there used to be just six major car brands, there are now about fifty jostling for attention—and, in Palma’s words, “the margins are razor-thin.” Competition is fierce, making car sales a completely different beast than it once was.

• Factor 1: Price – According to Palma, it defies logic that an electric car still costs more than a combustion engine one, especially since electric drivetrains are mechanically simpler.
• Factor 2: Range – For electric driving to truly outcompete combustion, the range needs to reach 800 to 1000 kilometers. Only then will electric vehicles become genuinely competitive on every front.

Markets have shifted, but so have the metrics for success. Today, resilience and adaptability seem as crucial as horsepower. Palma certainly knows a thing or two about both.

Europe’s Slip and the Call for Action

Palm’s perspective on the international race for automotive dominance is tinged with regret. “Europe shot itself in the foot,” he observes. While the continent once led the world in engine technology, it has now fallen behind in batteries—a key domain where Chinese manufacturers have taken a commanding lead. With expertise, factories, and significantly lower costs, the gap is growing, making fair competition exceedingly tough.

So, what’s his advice for European governments? The answer is simple but vital: create a level playing field. “It can’t be that a gasoline-powered Porsche pays the same taxes as an electric vehicle,” Palma insists. Tax incentives are, according to him, crucial to accelerating the transition to electric vehicles. Without such measures, closing the gap will be—or in Palma’s words—“incredibly difficult.”

Beyond Cars: An Entrepreneur’s Philosophy and Personal Transition

Though Palma has let go of the steering wheel of his car business, retirement is not his style. He now dedicates his energy to education, real estate, and healthcare. His group operates three schools, serving over a thousand students, as well as several care institutions. During the corona pandemic, his care homes made it through without any fatalities—a feat that fills him with tangible pride. Palma’s business philosophy? “Spend as if you’re poor, invest as if you’re rich.” Words to live—if not drive—by.

The former car tycoon is also an ardent marathon runner. “In a marathon, you learn to enjoy suffering,” Palma chuckles. The comparison holds for his entrepreneurial journey, too: early mornings, solving problems, enduring setbacks. If you can still enjoy yourself through the pains and pitfalls, Palma says, you’re on the right track.

Now 66, he’s made his own decision about mobility’s future: his next car will be electric. “They’re quieter, cleaner, and simpler to build. The only thing missing is true affordability and very long range. But that will come. The transition is irreversible.”

Conclusion: The road ahead may be lined with new obstacles—tighter margins, stiffer competition, and technological catch-up—but for Palma, the electric era isn’t a possibility: it’s a certainty. As the marathon of automotive evolution continues, his advice is clear—prepare for the finish line, because gas cars’ race is nearly run. If you’re considering your next car, his view is clear: it may soon be batteries or bust.