VW on the way in electric mobility : The diesel Tinker to the climate savers

size is VW will always be a trademark in the Positive or in the Negative. The maximum Diesel-scandal, the car company wants to prove that he is also considered the cleanest source of manufacturers, the number one in the industry. "If we do something, we do it big," said Christian Senger, head of the series of E-Mobility, this day in Dresden.

The proof that VW says it is serious about sustainability, wants to take the manufacturer at the end of the year: The first real electric car of the group, the VW I. D., comes to 2020 on the market, will be the first climate-neutral series produced car of the Twelve-brand group, such as Thomas Ulbrich, member of the Board for electric mobility, said. This is not to say that the car is during the journey emission-free, but also in the production.

And during its lifetime it will have to reduce its "ecological footprint" to a Minimum. In the best case, to Zero, if the customers recharge only green electricity. A Million tons of CO2, VW, promises will be in production saved. The inevitably remaining VW wants to reduce by compensation, i.e. by investments in climate protection projects.

Clean, from raw materials to Recycling

the I. D. in the factory in Zwickau, which is being rebuilt is Made – "from today, 100 percent of the internal combustion engine on 100 percent electric-drive" as it is called. In the future, should be made in addition to Zwickau, also in the "Gläserne Manufaktur" in Dresden I. D. vehicles. In addition, the plants in Hannover and Emden, to be retrofitted. Many other E-models, from raw material extraction to Recycling, literally clean, to follow on the first I. D..

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In the next five years, VW will launch more than 20 pure electric models to the market. Nine billion euros, the core brand of the group invested up to 2023 in e-mobility. Greater than the expectations of sales people: Instead of the originally starting in 2020 planned tens of millions of E-vehicles, which wants to build the group with its twelve brands in total on the electric platform, they are now 15 million-in a first wave. The positive feedback from the VW dealer have surprised the leaders in Wolfsburg.

However, in the "Gläserne Manufaktur" in Dresden, where VW produces the electric Golf, it is clear that the "marathon" has started in the electric mobility, of which the company speaks. 14 000 E-Golf was produced in Dresden in the past year. A marginal phenomenon in the Volkswagen group, has sold the 2018 world 10.8 million million vehicles. Of climate neutrality still can be no question. 43,7 tons of carbon dioxide (CO2) are emitted in the cut of a VW with a combustion engine over the life cycle today, two-thirds of them alone, by the fuel consumption.

battery production is very energy-intensive

At this point, the electric car can play its biggest advantage, even more so, if the electricity from renewable sources. However, the electric drive brings first ecological disadvantages. Because the manufacture of the battery is very energy-intensive, this reduces the CO2 balance compared to a Golf Diesel, first to 150 percent. About half of the "carbon dioxide-pack," bring the electric I. D. alone from the supply chain and production, said Michael Liebert, head of sustainability at VW. Here the car manufacturer wants to create in the future, significantly stricter standards to its approximately 40 000 direct suppliers. If you want to stay with VW in the business, must be transparently and demonstrably sustainable. to be

But to be credible for the customer, wants to make VW here, too, the effort to go to things ecologically. The supplier of the battery cells, which refers to VW, mostly from Europe, and particularly Poland, with a high coal share of electricity were required, certified to use green electricity for the production. This could reduce the emissions in the cell production by 80 percent, said Philippi. To come here, contractual solutions are designed to be difficult. Therefore, Volkswagen is considering, in the cell production. For the previous supplier, the new group policy does not mean: "Who corresponds to our criteria, we exclude, in the future," said Marco Philippi. "We want to be the driver." To be transparent, wants VW to implement – similar to its competitors – in the middle of the year, a sustainability Rating.

"No more Secrecy"

a Lot of effort for an electric mobility market, which is measured in terms of the entire car market is still tiny. At barely two percent of the share of battery-powered vehicles currently in new vehicle registrations. However, in the group, the course for the future – with all the risks of this Transformation. "I had said two years ago, doubts whether such a large Organisation such as the VW group has the inner will to turn," Georg Kell, spokesman of the sustainability Advisory Board of the Volkswagen AG and a former Executive Director of the United Nations Global Compact. In the meantime, he was "impressed" by the seriousness with which the VW-to-peak driving the "huge change" ahead. So VW is, of course, is not alone. Also BMW and Daimler in the case of BMW for much longer – on sustainability in the entire value-added chain of electric mobility. "It will be a competitive advantage if the customers know how resources are handled," said Kell. "There must be no more Secrecy."