After Volkswagen and Porsche, the head of the Bavarian manufacturer BMW said Wednesday that he was in favor of developing synthetic fuels to expand existing models, at a time when Germany blocks the end of new cars with thermal engines in 2035. in the EU
“The only way to make a substantial contribution ‘to reducing CO2 emissions from combustion engines’ is to use synthetic fuels and I agree with colleagues who strongly support this,” said Oliver Zipse, Chairman of the BMW Board of Management. , during a press conference. conference this Wednesday on the results of the group.
on existing models
For Oliver Zipse, “the main effect of e-fuels refers to existing models”, adding that the engines in the BMW range “are prepared for it”.
If only one type of new motorization, in this case electric, were authorized 12 years from now, then the automotive sector would be “dependent on charging infrastructure, which is currently experiencing much slower growth than the vehicle boom.” electricity all over the world. because it involves large investments,” said Oliver Zipse.
And see the danger of “a new dependency, especially with regard to raw materials” necessary in particular for the manufacture of batteries. “The lesson to be learned is that diversity equals resilience,” he concluded.
A position that adds to the one raised by Oliver Blume, president of the board of directors of Volkswagen, at the beginning of the week. Two days ago, Oliver Blume spoke out in favor of e-fuels which can “play a useful complementary role for the myriad of cars and niche segments out there”, which should especially benefit luxury car subsidiary Porsche.
A decision from Europe is expected
By blocking a supposedly formality vote by all 27 EU member states last week to ratify a ban on the sale of new cars with internal combustion engines by 2035, Germany demanded a new European proposal that would pave the way for vehicles that run on synthetic fuels, even after 2035.
Synthetic fuel technology, currently under development, consists of producing fuel from CO2 produced, in particular, by industrial activities that use electricity with low carbon emissions. Environmental NGOs believe that this technology is expensive and voracious in electricity in the production phase but also polluting, because it does not eliminate nitrogen oxide (NOx) emissions.
Source: BFM TV
