Status: 11/10/2021 11:12 a.m.
At the world climate conference, several car companies and two dozen countries committed to an end to internal combustion engines. However, leading manufacturers are not included – and Germany is also missing.
Six car companies do not want to build any more cars with combustion engines in the foreseeable future, 24 states no longer allow such vehicles. This provides for an obligation at the world climate conference in Glasgow. The governments involved wanted to “work towards ensuring that all sales of new cars and light commercial vehicles by 2040 worldwide and in leading markets by 2035 at the latest,” said the British host of the climate summit.
According to the Reuters news agency, the signatories include Mercedes-Benz, the Swedish manufacturer Volvo, the Chinese BYD and Jaguar Land Rover, a unit of the Indian Tata Motors, as well as the US car manufacturers Ford and General Motors. The two American groups are number five and three in terms of sales on the global auto market.
VW, Toyota and Stellantis not included
GM said it was “proud to stand by other companies, governments and organizations and to commit to working towards a transition to 100 percent zero-emission vehicles.” Ford also confirmed its participation: “To be successful, everyone has to work together.” Volvo had previously committed to fully electric vehicles by 2030.
The two world-leading automobile manufacturers Volkswagen and Toyota apparently not sign the commitment – as is the world’s fourth-largest automobile manufacturer Stellantis (with the brands Citroen, Fiat, Opel and Peugeot, among others). The Japanese car manufacturers Honda and Nissan as well as the Korean company Hyundai and the German car manufacturer BMW did not want to join the commitment.
According to Reuters companies are skeptical because they should commit to a costly technology change, but there is no similar obligation on the part of governments to build the necessary charging and network infrastructure.
Minister Scheuer for drives with synthetic fuels
The major auto markets of China, the United States and Germany are missing from the 24 states that support the plan. The Federal Environment Ministry said that the federal government has not yet made a final decision. The managing minister of transport, Andreas Scheuer (CSU), had previously rejected the initiative. “The fossil combustion engine will expire in 2035. The combustion technology is still needed,” Scheuer told journalists. “We want to make them climate-neutral with synthetic fuels and preserve the advantages of the technology.” The planned declaration does not take into account the propulsion with synthetic fuels. That is why his ministry and the incumbent federal government are against it.
Greenpeace boss Martin Kaiser criticized Germany’s reluctance. “It would be extremely embarrassing if Germany weren’t there,” he told the news agency dpa. Such a declaration is overdue.