Daimler works council opposes pure focus on e-mobility

The Daimler works council has warned the carmaker against focusing solely on electric mobility. "Electric mobility is important, yes. But there is a hype about it that is fired up by politicians and society," council head Michael Brecht told Automobilwoche, according to a dpa report carried by Handelsblatt. Brecht added conventional combustion engines shouldn't be demonized. "The overall climate balance is important, not the type of propulsion. Planning without combustion engines is a punch in the face for all those colleagues who have been doing excellent work in these areas for decades and who continue to improve this technology". Brecht added that electric motors were not a panacea, given that it remained unclear whether sufficient amounts of batteries will be available, and where the necessary raw materials would come from, and on the progress on charging infrastructure. 

Daimler management said this week that it wants to transform the company into the world's leading electric car manufacturer. Electrified vehicles are to account for more than 50 percent of sales by 2030, while at the same time the number of combustion engine models is to be reduced by 70 percent over the same period, according to the report.

German carmakers have been slow to fully embrace the shift to e-mobility. But developments like the rapid rise of Californian carmaker Tesla and increasing policy pressure to reduce car emissions have prompted them to bet heavily on electric mobility, led by Volkswagen.