BMW will be ready as soon as 2030 in the event vehicles with internal combustion engines are banned, said BMW CEO Oliver Zipse during an event in Germany. He said the company will have offerings ready if it happens.
Like so many other automakers — especially those based in Europe — BMW’s been accelerating the development of its battery-electric vehicle portfolio. Gas- and diesel-powered vehicles have been banned in some places, the European Union’s effort isn’t expected to take effect until 2035.
However, it’s better to be ready a bit early, plus those timelines can change as was the case in the UK, which saw the initial ban set for 2040, then get moved up to 2035.
“We will be ICE-ban ready. If a region, a city, a country gets the idea of banning ICEs, we have an offering,” Zipse told a conference in the town of Nuertingen, near Stuttgart, according to Reuters.
Getting ready for the future early
Automakers around the world have been working on electrifying their vehicle line-ups with differing degrees of alacrity, but much of the push has been driven by the EU’s march toward carbon neutrality by 2050.
That effort involves a variety of requirements, including zero-emission vehicles. Mercedes-Benz, Volkswagen and other European-based auto companies are investing hundreds of billioins of dollars — the aforementioned VW is forecast to spend $86 billion alone — in the move.
Like the others, BMW’s going along with it, although not entirely willingly.
“The BMW Group is not worried about this. Whether it’s a good idea is another question … but we will have an offering.”
However, BMW officials have said on a few occasions they expect 50% of global car sales to be electric vehicles by 2030. Those estimates mirror or are like many other automakers. Unlike some others, such as General Motors, the company’s not set a firm date for getting out of the ICE-powered vehicle business.
Getting more pieces of the business
In addition to building the vehicles needed to meet future compliance measures, BMW’s developing other potential revenue streams coming from the shift to battery-electric vehicles — specifically vehicle charging.
BMW Group partnered with Daimler Mobility AG to create Digital Charging Solutions GmbH. The company works with premium and high-volume automakers to integrate its charging solutions into the vehicles’ operating systems and the makers’ digital ecosystems. DCS already provides access to charging infrastructure with a coverage of more than 85% in 29 European countries.
The venture is expanding its scope quickly through the addition of a new partner, BP. The deal, which closed Thursday, was initially agreed to in late March. It gives each of the partners a 33.3% stake in the company.
Adding BP to the ranks, gives DCS an additional 9,000 rapid and ultra-fast charging point through BP’s European charging network. The move follows efforts by other automakers, such as VW, GM and others to get into the charging end of the business as well.
Again…
If you use a acronym, then put the damn meaning someplace for the “consumer.