BMW has increased its initial carbon emissions reductions goals to 40% over a car's lifecycle as well as value chain emissions decreases of 50% based on 2019 levels by 2030.
BMW logo. Credit: JamesHarrison_ / Flickr (Licence: CC2.0)
BMW has accelerated its carbon emission reduction plans. Credit: JamesHarrison_ / Flickr (Licence: CC2.0)
The German automaker will also be integrating more reused and recycled car parts into its production in adherence to the circular economy ahead of the IAA Mobility conference in Munich next week.
Read more: Audi pins 2026 for shift to all-electric vehicles
Billed as the "Neue Klasse" (German: New Class) of BMW cars, the carmaker has cemented its support for the 1.5°C targets as laid out by the Paris Climate Agreement.
The company will also be looking into establishing a market for the secondary materials used in vehicle production, which could help reduce carbon emissions through freighting and manufacturing.
The company originally set itself a goal of reducing carbon emissions during a vehicle's lifecycle by around a third but has been slow to adopt a hard date for the phase-out of combustion engines, unlike some of its other competitors, such as VW.
A vehicle's utilisation phase - which encompasses much of its manufacturing - current accounts for 70% of BMW's carbon footprint, the automaker has revealed. Chairman Oliver Zipse revealed in a statement the company's intentions to tackle this issue as a priority.
It will also be pursuing its goal of becoming "completely carbon-neutral along the value chain" by 2050.
“How companies are dealing with CO2 emissions has become a major factor when it comes to judging corporate action," Zipse said. "The decisive factor in the fight against global warming is how strongly we can improve the carbon footprint of vehicles over their entire life span."
The group is also the first German automaker to join the "Business Ambition for 1.5°C" drive under the Science Based Targets initiative - a collection of corporations committed to reducing carbon emissions.
As a result, the company also favours technological innovation within the automotive industry over government bans, such as those seen in the UK and suggested in Portugal that have seen support from companies such as Volvo.
“With the Neue Klasse we are significantly sharpening our commitment and also committing ourselves to a clear course for achieving the 1.5-degree target," Zipse added.
The coronavirus pandemic caused BMW to suffer its first quarterly loss in 11 years in Q2 2020.
Read more: BMW suffers first quarterly loss since 2009
The ongoing semiconductor shortage has also provided pitfalls to automaker's transition to net-zero, with the material for electric car batteries being in shorter supply.
Current estimates suggest the semiconductor shortage may last into 2023.
BMW has also revealed plans to put 10 million all-electric vehicles on the roads within the next decade.
"As early as 2030, at least half of global BMW Group sales will be all-electric vehicles, with the MINI brand offering exclusively all-electric vehicles from 2030," the automaker revealed in a statement.
BMW also hopes the reduction in the use of primary materials will increase the environmental footprint of electric vehicles. The costs of mining and transporting metals such as lithium are currently massive and are a leading cause of climate emissions.
BMW and Volkswagen, alongside Daimler, were recently fined in the EU over "emissions collusion" over air-cleaning technology.
The Commission claims the carmakers “breached EU antitrust rules by colluding on technical development in the area of nitrogen oxide cleaning", and described it as a "cartel" working to restrict the use of a new technology.
Read more: EU fines Volkswagen and BMW €875m over emissions collusion
However, reports also circulated that the EU intentionally narrowed the scope of the investigation in order to ensure the charges stuck.
VW posited the discussions held were not related to pricing, and that the results had yet to be implemented when the fine was issued.
Daimler, however, claims the EU found no real evidence of collusion.
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