Oliver Zipse, BMW: E-fuels are being used for political purposes August 1, 2024 2

CEO of BMW Group, Oliver Zipsehas always been very critical of the European Commission’s decision to ban the sale of new endothermic models in 2035. Several times, the first member of the German group asked the EU to adopt a technology neutral attitudeThis position, however, is also shared by managers of other European car manufacturers.

Now, in his speech on the occasion of the presentation of the German group’s half-yearly report, Oliver Zipse goes even further. attack in no uncertain terms Ursula von der Leyen’s recent openness to e-fuels. About ten days ago, on the day of her re-election as President of the European Commission, Ursula stressed that there would be no step back in achieving the 2035 target. However, she added that achieving climate neutrality for cars by 2035 was a technology. neutral approach would be needed, in which e-fuels could play a role through targeted regulatory changes as part of the planned review.

The first BMW Group spokesman disputes the finding and says there is a risk that Electronic fuel is being exploited for political purposes in the debate over banning combustion engines. Even Zipse says there are several signs that the European Commission look for a fake solution.

One thing is clear: the most effective contribution to climate protection is the one we can make today: in other words, every ton of CO2 we can save today, not in the future, counts. This also means demanding and promoting the use of low-carbon fuels such as e-fuels, E 25 or HVO100 as quickly and widely as possible. These fuels can immediately improve the CO2 emissions of the current car fleet in the European Union, which numbers more than 250 million vehicles.

However, at this point we see a significant risk that e-fuels will be politically exploited in the debate about banning internal combustion engines from 2035. The ban on internal combustion engines will be relaxed, simply opening the way for e-fuels. However, if we fail to accelerate the spread of low-CO2 fuels and make their use practical, this will amount to a deliberate ban on internal combustion engines. We still believe that a categorical ban on internal combustion engine technology is wrong.

Zipse also spoke about the tariffs on Chinese electric cars demanded by the European Commission and beyond. A strategy that is wrong and leads to a dead end for the number one in the German group.

Each region and individual country is trying to protect its economic interests. This also includes localising the entire value chain in the automotive industry, including supply chains. We at the BMW Group remain committed to open markets and against artificial barriers such as punitive tariffs. The introduction of additional tariffs, such as those recently introduced by the EU, leads us into a dead end and ultimately does not make European manufacturers more competitive. On the contrary, the EU tariffs on battery electric vehicles from China punish European manufacturers such as the BMW Group, which also produce cars in China for the European market. Additional tariffs also limit the choice of electric vehicles for European customers and can therefore slow down decarbonisation in the transport sector. Measures always lead to countermeasures. Let us not forget that the implementation of the Green Deal in Europe also relies heavily on raw materials and technology, in particular from China.

The position on tariffs, however, is not surprising given that German brands immediately stated that they were against this Commission measure, given the many interests at stake in this market.