Mercedes, BMW and Volkswagen accelerate hard on electric cars
Electric cars in Germany are not the future but the present. The journey of PresaDiretta, the Rai 3 broadcast, in Germany between public and private investments and fears of the unions
Germany is already ready for the transition to electric cars. Presa Diretta , Riccardo Iacona's Rai 3 broadcast, dedicated the episode of Monday 9 October to the transition that is taking place in Europe and, less so, in Italy. Our country, in fact, is bringing up the rear in the transition towards electric cars. And this despite the switch off being set in Europe for 2035. Germany, on the other hand, has convincingly embraced the path of electric mobility.
SMART: WE HAVE BEEN 100% ELECTRIC SINCE 2019
The first automotive company to market a fully electric car in Europe was Smart, from the Mercedes group, 15 years ago. “We became 100% electric already in 2019 – says Dirk Adelmann, CEO Smart Europe GmbH to Alessandro Macina -. We have been waiting for the energy mix to improve, with more green energy, and for charging infrastructure to be more available to achieve what we have had in mind since the 1990s. The biggest production cost hurdle was the battery, but the technology has improved a lot. Over the last thirty years, battery costs have fallen with mass production. National subsidies were also important. And it's just the beginning, electricity costs will always be lower."
CONSERVATIVE PARTIES AGAINST ELECTRIC CARS
The most conservative parties, in Italy and in Europe, consider the ban on internal combustion engines, scheduled for 2035 and desired by Europe, as an imposition. “We cannot think of imposing on all the Italian people, on all the European people to converge on electric cars, to discover, perhaps in 5 years, that Euro 7 would have had the same or less impact and perhaps discover the existence of unclear relationships with foreign markets – said the deputy minister of Infrastructure and Transport, Galeazzo Bignami , guest of the conference “Tomorrow's cars: present and future of mobility” at the Rimini Meeting -. The Italian government will not follow them on this path."
THE ELECTRIC TURNING POINT STARTED FROM THE DIESELGATE SCANDAL
But it's not just Smart that has chosen the electric path, it's the entire German automotive industry that wants to abandon combustion engines. Mercedes, BMW and Volkswagen will be 100% electric between 2025 and 2033, before the European deadline of 2035. It is an industrial choice that starts from the diesel gate scandal, which involved the Volkswagen group responsible for falsifying the emissions of cars with diesel engines.
IN GERMANY TODAY 15 OUT OF 100 CARS ARE ELECTRIC
In Germany around 15 cars out of 100 are electric, more than a million electric vehicles. “On the five large European markets, the electric market share is already over 10%, so Italy is the only country that is under 10%, we are at 4%”, says Lucio Tropea, CEO of Smart Italia . But it's not just the automotive industry that has focused on electric. The regional federal government has set up new parking lots only for electric cars and high-power charging stations that release 100% renewable energy. “There is a very clear indication from the central government point of view – says Lucio Tropea to Alessandro Macina -. It has established that petrol pumps must all have an infrastructure for charging electric cars."
THE GERMAN GOVERNMENT FINANCES THE SWITCH TO ELECTRIC CARS
Therefore, the electric car in Germany is not an object of the future but of the present which the government finances with an incentive of €4,500 on new 100% electric cars and €3,000 on used ones, furthermore the infrastructure is ready for a fleet of 7 millions of electric ones. “The goal by 2030 is to reach 15 million electric vehicles and 150,000 charging points will be needed, double today's figure meaning an infrastructure present not only in cities but also in the open countryside – says Jurgen Mindel, director of the Automotive Industry Association German to Alessandro Macina -. This is why we have laws and incentives to improve public infrastructure, but also private infrastructure. 80% of top-ups take place at home. With intelligent networks managing energy, it will be possible to satisfy everyone's needs between day and night. The national plan also includes high-power charging infrastructures for trucks, capable of delivering megawatts of energy. We need to reduce CO2 emissions and consume less energy. To do both, the technology is battery-powered electric mobility."
INVESTMENTS BY FOREIGN COMPANIES: FORD AND TESLA
The "electric revolution" wanted by the German government has attracted investments from foreign car manufacturers, in June the American Ford opened the first fully electric European plant in Cologne, but not only that, last year Tesla inaugurated the first in Berlin giga Factory in Europe, with an investment of four billion euros and has hired 3 thousand people, at full capacity there should be 12,000.
VOLVO: “WE WILL BE 100% ELECTRIC BY 2030”
“We will be 100% electric by 2030 – says Jim Rowan, CEO and President Volvo Cars – The European automotive industry is a strong industry and I am sure it will survive, but companies must understand that it is not just about electrification, but to produce software, information technologies and all the new technologies that will arrive in the next 5 years".
THE CONCERNS OF THE UNIONS
Rowan's optimism clashes with union concerns. “There will be a reduction in jobs – says Michael Brecht, union leader of IG Metall – especially where traditional engines and parts such as gearboxes are produced; therefore, worker training and retraining plans are needed. This won't happen overnight, there is enough time to manage the transition. I'm not worried that we will see layoffs, there will be early retirements and we will take advantage of the natural fluctuation of workers. The most important thing is that our German factories also produce batteries and electronic components. We are asking for this. Because if we don't do it then the impacts on work will be very strong, even if there are different opinions among the unions. We all know that you can't stop a moving train." The strategy for jobs, according to Rowan, is about embracing change. “The number of jobs in Europe will really depend on how well companies embrace change. This is why it is important that the European Union confirms its position on electric cars by 2035. There are 12 years to get there, there is plenty of time to do it.
THE CLOSE RELATIONS BETWEEN CHINA AND GERMANY
It is interesting that China also looks to Germany: the presence of Chinese cars at the most important auto show in Munich has more than doubled. “Competition should stimulate us, not scare us – said Olaf Scholz, Chancellor of Germany -. In the 1980s it was said that Japanese cars would dominate the market, 20 years later it was the turn of cars made in Korea and today it is supposed to be Chinese electric cars. Germany's international competitiveness as an automotive country remains completely beyond question. It is no coincidence that almost one in two cars in Europe and almost one in five cars in China come from German manufacturers."
This is a machine translation from Italian language of a post published on Start Magazine at the URL https://www.startmag.it/smartcity/germania-auto-elettriche/ on Sat, 14 Oct 2023 05:07:28 +0000.