E-cars: manufacturers fail to keep their promise
According to InfluenceMap, there will not be enough electric vehicles to limit global warming. But electric cars also raise doubts.
In many countries, politicians have decided to push ahead with the transition to electric mobility as quickly as possible. In order to achieve the climate targets set and thus limit the temperature rise to 1.5 °C by 2050, 57.5% of the vehicles produced in 2029 would have to be e-cars. A study by the British think tank InfluenceMap now questions the production plans of the major international car manufacturers and believes they will not be enough to meet the Paris Agreement's targets.
InfluenceMap compared IHS Markit (S&P Global) data on global car production with a 2021 study by the International Energy Agency (IEA), which estimated at the time that zero-emission vehicles would need to account for 57.5% of total sales in 2030 and 20% of the total car fleet in 2030 to meet climate targets. However, the think tank's forecast shows that in 2029, 68% of vehicles produced will still be combustion or hybrid vehicles. Only 32% of the vehicles produced will be purely electric cars. While the automotive industry is trending towards electric propulsion, the commitment and pace of manufacturers differs significantly.
The planned manufacturing figures of twelve leading global manufacturers were analysed by InfluenceMap. Of these, only Tesla (100%) and Mercedes-Benz (56%) seem likely to meet their targets. They are followed by BMW and Volkswagen with 45% and 43% of production going to e-cars respectively. Chrysler (40%) and Ford (36%) place not so far away. The other brands in the Stellantis group, namely Renault, General Motors and Hyundai plan to convert 31%, 28% and 27% of production to e-cars instead. Japan's Nissan (22%), Honda (18%) and Toyota (14%) are the least prepared for the electrification of the industry, according to the think tank. Despite recent announcements, they had joined the e-car offensive too late. Toyota, in fact, had for the first time taken a close look at the hybrid engine and had committed itself to establishing hydrogen electromobility as the drive of the future. However, since the market today mainly demands pure electric cars, the manufacturers are now trying to catch up in e-mobility.
The fact that the global car manufacturers are not showing the climate policy commitment promised at the Paris Agreement through adequate production plans is unfortunately not the only problematic aspect of the mobility turnaround. It is true that the European Union plans to no longer allow cars with combustion engines from 2035. However, it associates zero emissions only with e-vehicles. This ignores the fact that CO2 could still be emitted during production, delivery and possibly even during the battery charging process.
Certainly, e-cars will play a significant role in shaping the mobility of the future. However, every step, from the production of components to charging, should follow not only the principle of profitability, but above all that of sustainability. In any case, car manufacturers should roll up their sleeves and produce enough electric cars to keep their promise to participate in the car turnaround.