Paris Automotive Summit: BMW CEO makes the case for e-fuels and hydrogen
At a high-level conference held outside the Paris Motor Show, Oliver Zipse explained that 100% battery electric vehicles will not meet all needs, arguing that other solutions exist. It was a statement that stood out from the rest of the industry.
Held at the Dôme de Paris (directly opposite to the Paris Motor Show), and with more than 3,000 people attending, the Paris Automotive Summit is an opportunity to listen to the big cheeses of the automotive industry. Luca de Meo (Renault Group) and Carlos Tavares (Stellantis Group) are the headliners of this 2024 edition. The CEO of TotalEnergies, Patrick Pouyanné, and the new French Minister of the Economy, Finance and Industrial and Digital Sovereignty, Antoine Armand, were also invited. While electric cars were the main topic of discussion, with the question of competition from China and the risk of fines for non-compliance with CAFE* standards in 2025, one of the big bosses came to open up the field of possibilities.
*CAFE (Corporate Average Fuel Economy): This standard, which came into force on January 1st, 2021, previously obliged manufacturers to market only vehicles emitting less than 95 grams of CO2 per km in the European Union. By 2025, the aim is to lower the overall average to 81 g/km per new vehicle sold (electric, plug-in hybrid, hybrid, combustion).
E-fuels and hydrogen to speed up decarbonisation
The CEO of BMW Group, Olivier Zipse, explained that Europe must retain its technological leadership. In his opinion, Europe needs to demonstrate “technological neutrality” and consider that “all technologies can contribute to reducing CO2.” In this respect he mentioned: efficient combustion engines, rechargeable hybrids and electric vehicles. But there is more. He pointed out that there are 250 million vehicles in Europe, and that it would be more efficient to fuel them with synthetic fuels such as e-fuels. He also mentioned hydrogen, which he described as an emerging technology.
It should be noted that BMW exhibited its iX5 Hydrogen at the Paris Motor Show yesterday and that it is working with Toyota on a new fuel cell to make the technology widely accessible by 2028.
Mr Zipse pointed out that support is needed both for hydrogen production and to set up stations (just as we need to support the recharging infrastructure for electric vehicles). According to him, Europe should react to the long-term and aggressive strategies of China and the USA. He reiterated that the goal of 100% battery electric is ‘impossible’. Let’s not forget that the one saying this is a manufacturer selling more and more electric cars and who beat Tesla in the number of sales this summer in Europe.
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Article written by Laurent Meillaud and translated by Logan King
