The suggestions put forward by European auto suppliers are the latest in a number of warnings about the costs of a rapid transition to emissions-free technology. The European Commission vowed this year to eliminate 100 percent of CO2 emissions from new cars by 2035.
In doing so, a ban would effectively be in place which prevents the sale of fossil-fuel powered vehicles.
More than 130 countries are aiming to reach net-zero emissions before 2050.
These countries include the UK, France, Denmark and New Zealand.
A poll of almost 100 companies for the European Association of Automotive Suppliers, Clepa, found more than two-thirds of the 501,000 roles which are under threat would disappear in the five years before the projected date of the ban.
The survey also found that 226,000 jobs would be created with the need for the manufacturing of electric parts.
This increase in jobs brings the net number of job losses to approximately 275,000 over the next few decades.
Clepa, which represents more than 3,000 automotive suppliers, have consistently argued that introducing interim technologies help make the transition to cleaner transport much easier in the future.
Sigrid de Vries, the organisation’s secretary-general, said: “Society’s needs are far too diverse for a one-fits-all approach.
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“It’s still seats, paint, body work, interiors, wheels, axles.
“For some, if you work in fuel injection systems or gearboxes, it’s probably a bigger transition.
“I would say for 70 to 80 percent of the automotive supply industry, there is no transition”
Germany’s largest listed car parts supplier, Continental, spoke of how “social harmony would be jeopardised” if climate policies were not accompanied by programmes to allow for people in fossil fuel-reliant industries to get more employment opportunities.
Ariane Reinhart, a board member for human relations and Sustainability at the Hanover-based company, said: “We can transform, but we cannot have any discontinuity.
“Creating the necessary conditions for climate protection means not only accelerating the transformation, but also preventing large-scale unemployment.”