BMW has always been vocal about the European Union’s still-shocking proposal to ban the sale of new internal combustion engine cars from 2035. While the legislation does not explicitly ban internal combustion engines, it does state that new vehicles that produce emissions will no longer be registered from the middle of the next decade. However, the decision is not set in stone. The European Commission will publish an update on the controversial automotive package on December 10th.
In an interview with Automobile WeekCEO Oliver Zipse was optimistic that those responsible would weaken the proposal. The boss from Munich believes that the EU will at some point realize how massive this step would have on the European auto industry. BMW executives pointed out that the loss of nearly 50,000 jobs in Germany this year alone “could be somehow related to regulation.” Earlier this year German wave warned of an even higher number, with the German automotive sector potentially losing 51,500 jobs in 2025.
Zipse doesn’t just want to revise the ban on combustion engines. The BMW boss also wants the board to move away from defining CO2 emissions exclusively as exhaust emissions. The 61-year-old managing director argues that it is a “completely outdated” process because it ignores the entire value chain: “If I use green steel, then I want that to be included in my CO2 assessment.”
This makes sense when you consider that a car already pollutes the environment before the owner drives it off the dealer lot. In recent years, BMW has invested in ensuring carbon-reduced steel and increasing the use of recycled materials. About a third of the new iX3’s weight is made from recycled materials. For each electric vehicle that rolls off the assembly line in Debrecen, BMW uses 740 kilograms of secondary materials. It ranges from reused aluminum and PET bottles to discarded fishing nets and ropes.
That has to count for something, rather than being narrow-minded and only including what comes out of the exhaust. Reducing a car’s carbon footprint means more than just cleaner combustion engines or eliminating engines. BMW is also committed to more sustainable fuels, such as the diesel replacement HVO100 and instead eFuel Petrol. Both have a significantly lower carbon footprint than traditional fossil fuels and come with no loss of performance.
Hydrogen should not be ignored either, as BMW plans to bring its first fuel cell series car onto the market in 2028. It will be based on the next-generation X5, which launches next year. The “G65” will initially be offered with gasoline, diesel, plug-in hybrid and battery-powered electric drives. The fuel cell will follow a few years later, with the help of Toyota’s hydrogen expertise.
Source: Automobilwoche, Deutsche Welle
