Audi Chief Expresses Concerns, Urges European Car Makers to Break Off from Fossil Fuels by 2040
Audi's CEO has called for an immediate transition to renewable energy in Bavaria and elsewhere, and has urged European automakers to phase out the use of fossil fuels by 2040.
Discussions about a possible Russian gas ban in the wake of Moscow's invasion of Ukraine have increased pressure on firms and governments to spend more on renewable energy, with Mercedes-Benz announcing new wind and solar investments to help power its operations.
Markus Duesmann, Chairman of the Executive Board of Audi, said: "Let's be courageous as Europeans and take it upon ourselves to give up on fossil fuels completely from 2040. We must put all our energy towards battery-electric vehicles for individual mobility."
Audi will stop selling cars with internal combustion engines in 2033. In Europe, starting in 2035, and later in China and the United States, its parent company, Volkswagen, will do likewise.
Other automakers, like BMW, have warned against focusing too much on electric cars too soon because there is a lot of demand for combustion engines.
Germany's coalition government has stated that it wants to phase out coal by 2030, and by 2035, it wants to meet all of its electricity demands with renewable sources.
