Volkswagen has revealed the timeline for its phasing out of traditional combustion engines as it pins a 2035 date in Europe.
Volkswagen. Credit: SImon / Pixabay
Volkswagen has pledged to phase out combustion engines in Europe "between 2033 and 2035". Credit: Simon / Pixabay
The German automaker has already begun to phase out petrol and diesel cars and the transition to net-zero will affect Europe first, with a board member on Sunday stating these changes will come to the US and China a "little later".
This comes one week after Audi, a VW subsidiary, confirmed it will be pursuing a goal of having all its brands running all-electric by 2026, marking a continued trend for VW Group as it looks to shift to greener engines.
Read more: Audi pins 2026 for shift to all-electric vehicles
EU regulators have been breathing down the necks of automakers to push for a reduction in overall carbon emissions in line with the EU Green Deal which aims to make the bloc carbon-neutral by 2050.
Klaus Zellmer, Board Member for Sales, Marketing and Aftersales at VW, told the German Münchner Merkur newspaper of the company's plans to fully phase out combustion engines at some point between 2033 and 2035 in Europe.
He said: "The phaseout will happen a little later in the United States and China. In South America and Africa, it will take a good deal longer due to the fact that the political and infrastructure framework conditions are still missing."
He added the entire Volkswagen fleet aims to be completely carbon-neutral by at least 2050.
He told the newspaper VW hopes that electric vehicles will account for 70% of the company's market in Europe by 2030, echoing similar sentiments to brand CEO Ralf Brandstätter at a press briefing on the "Accelerate" scheme back in March.
The company will also be planning on releasing one new EV brand every year between now and 2030.
Read more: VW set to "accelerate" shift to electric vehicles
Other automakers, such as Volvo, have also pledged to begin the phase-out of combustion engines by 2030.
The switch to electrification and the ongoing semiconductor shortage have spurred an increase in domestic battery production.
Northvolt, Stellantis, Nissan and Tesla have all commenced construction of, or are set to get involved in, have all expressed interest in increasing domestic chip production. Last month, Bosch opened a chipmaking plant in Dresden, Germany.
Nissan, for example, has decided to convert its Sunderland plant into a battery megafactory to keep in line with the UK's trade deal with Brexit, which stipulates all EU-based automakers must source batteries from within the UK or EU or face heavy tariffs.
This will also make Europe less dependent on East Asian suppliers, who are currently facing overwhelming demand for chips owing to an increase in the use of consumer electronics and pushes for greater automotive electrification spurred by the coronavirus pandemic.
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