“You can’t force customers”
Bosch boss: Switching to electric cars will take decades
March 3, 2024, 2:47 p.m
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The switch to electric vehicles is going to be bumpier than expected. The head of the automotive supplier Bosch expects that it will take at least 30 to 35 years until all combustion cars worldwide are replaced by electric ones.
Bosch boss Stefan Hartung says he expects that combustion cars will be needed for decades to come. It will take at least 30 to 35 years to electrify all vehicles, the manager told the news portal The Pioneer in an interview. If the entire production of 90 million vehicles worldwide were to be converted immediately, it would take around 16 years to replace the entire fleet, Hartung calculated.
In reality, combustion engines would continue to be produced and would have to be replaced over time. “It will take more than twice as long, at least 30 to 35 years, to electrify all cars worldwide.” In the end, some mobility will not be electric at all.
The head of the auto supplier said that combustion engine technology must continue to be made available in Germany. “You can’t force customers outside Europe not to use them.” Complete electrification requires inventions and solutions that do not yet exist. Harvesting machines could not easily drive electrically. “Because they drive for up to twelve hours and draw 250 to 300 kilowatts of power per hour. With a battery required for this, the vehicle would probably sink into the ground.”
Basically, e-mobility is a growth market. “But, as we also hear from vehicle manufacturers, the ramp-up will be slower than previously assumed,” said Hartung. When asked whether the end of combustion engines in the EU was announced too early, the manager answered in the negative. “What was important about the climate goals was that we set ourselves a goal at all.”