German car manufacturers are pushing hard for alternative fossil fuels due to a sudden dip in supply available to them.
In the last few years, the attitude that German car manufacturers have had towards renewable energy sources to power their cars has become more and more intriguing. Initially lagging behind American and Japanese manufacturers, several factors have contributed to their sudden interest, the foremost being the Russian war with Ukraine.
A recent Reuters analysis of environmental data shows just how reliant the country’s highly-important motoring industry is on fossil fuels, as its transport sector makes up to 30% of its total energy consumption. In an effort to bring that concerning number down, Volkswagen, BMW, Mercedes and more are ramping up development in EV technology.
The conflict that Russia is involved in has only increased this urgency, as one of the world’s major gas exporters was hit with a bevvy of sanctions from the UN that affected its trading and economic powers. Coupled with the global rise in fuel prices anyway as a delayed reaction to the Coronavirus pandemic, car owners in Germany and around the world have been hit hard in 2022.
Volkswagen and BMW have depended on non-renewable resources for around 80% and 60% of their needs respectively, so it was high time that they looked to more sustainable ways to harvest energy both in the companies and their products.
In terms of production, work has amped up on creating more ways to use energy at the companies’ various manufacturing plants. BMW has announced the world’s first CO2-free vehicle plant in Debrecen, Hungary, to open in 2025 and will generate its own electricity and source any extra energy needed from outside renewable energy sources. This is just one of the many steps automakers are making on the production end of the business to reduce emissions, including filling roofs in solar panels and having on-site renewable power generators.
On the research and development side of the companies, there have been numerous advancements in recent years to each of their lineups to include more EV (electric vehicles) than ever. Volkswagen’s ID range is their main line of consumer electric vehicles, first introduced in 2019 with the ID.3, a small 5-door family hatchback. Meanwhile, the ID.4 is a mass-market crossover SUV and the ID.5 is a slightly modified coupe version. Each model is the pinnacle of VW’s electric technology and can charge up to 100km of power in around 7 minutes.
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BMW’s i range is more established, having been founded in 2011. It features alternatives to gas-guzzlers such as the i3 all-electric city car, the iX luxury SUV and the all-new i4 estate and i7 luxury saloon.
Finally, Mercedes’ electric solutions are the densest range of the three. The ‘E’ lineup has been fleshed out to include the EQA hatchback, EQB crossover SUV, EQC compact SUV, EQE executive car, EQS luxury sedan and EQV commercial van.
To get around fuel costs, cars2buy offers car leases on every one of the models mentioned. If you’re interested in making the switch to renewable energy, why not search for some deals on new Mercedes EVs? Or looking into buying one of Volkwagen’s new ID range? Or how about BMW leasing deals? The choice is all yours at the UK’s finest online car marketplace.