VW has announced that it is accelerating its move to electric vehicles. Although it is one of the most aggressive plans to date, we hope that they will have to “speed it up” again.
Today, Volkswagen announced its “ACCELERATE” strategy, which, as the name suggests, consists of accelerating its electrification and digitalization plans.
The main announcement is that VW has accelerated its goals for the mix of all-electric vehicles in its sales:
- In 2030, the company will double the share of e-cars in Europe, from the previously planned 35% to 70% of sales.
- In the United States and China, the share of vehicles powered by electricity is expected to increase to 50% by 2030.
These are some of the most aggressive targets among the leading automakers to date.
Ralf Brandstätter, CEO of VW passenger cars, commented on the announcement:
When it comes to electromobility, we are well on the way to becoming the world market leader. Changing the system to an electric car is just the beginning. The really big break is still ahead of us.
Volkswagen is taking responsibility for the climate and will significantly exceed the planned EU regulation. Of all the major manufacturers, Volkswagen has the best chance of winning the race. While competitors are still in the midst of electrical transformation, we are taking big steps towards digital transformation. As we move boldly forward on the topic of electronic mobility, we are also addressing other issues of the future.
This means that the German automaker is preparing to convert more plants from the production of vehicles with an internal combustion engine to the production of electric vehicles, in order to be ready to produce millions of electric vehicles in the second half of the decade.
Electrek’s Take
Although I applaud VW for being more aggressive than most here, I think they will have to “accelerate” their “acceleration strategy” again in the years to come.
In 2030, no one in their right mind will want to buy a vehicle with an internal combustion engine.
It won’t make sense. There will be many all-electric options for many years, so the customer’s mindset will change completely and the resale value of a gasoline vehicle will be extremely low.
In my opinion, this means that VW is currently planning 30-50% of its production capacity to be useless by the end of the decade.
They will have to readjust this.
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