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That is something Germany should have done years ago. They have an industry to shift.
by oaiey 7y ago
That is something Germany should have done years ago. They have an industry to shift.
- martin_a 7y agoWon't happen. Automobile companies are so deep into our politicians, you sometimes see them looking out from the throat. For example the federal state of Niedersachsen has more than 20% of the shares of Volkswagen. They will not do anything that might harm VW.
- icebraining 7y agoIncreasingly, not switching to EVs will harm VW, regardless of what German states do.
- paganel 7y agoAfter Dieselgate VW has been the most committed major auto-maker when it comes to EVs, problem is there have been some hiccups [1] [1] https://www.consumeraffairs.com/news/audi-recalls-model-year-2019-e-trons-061719.html https://www.consumeraffairs.com/news/audi-recalls-model-year...
- agumonkey 7y agoGerman brands have acknowledged it a bit, enough to make some cars and try the mainstream market too. I know Porsche also made a version with gears so they can retain their high speed property.
- clouddrover 7y agoVolkswagen is investing 80 billion euros in EVs: https://www.reuters.com/article/us-volkswagen-electric-insight-idUSKCN1PV0K4 https://www.reuters.com/article/us-volkswagen-electric-insig...
- martin_a 7y agoYeah, but only lately. They should have started 10 years ago. Now it's probably too late. Not only for VW but all the others, too.
- clouddrover 7y agoVolkswagen is one of the biggest car companies in the world: https://www.jato.com/global-car-market-remains-stable-during-2018-as-continuous-demand-for-suvs-offsets-decline-in-sales-of-compact-cars-and-mpvs/ https://www.jato.com/global-car-market-remains-stable-during... They'll be fine. They don't care what drive train they use. They just want to sell cars.
- martin_a 7y agoThey have just now started developing all of this, while lots of manufacturers only need to ramp up their production, see Hyundai, Kia, Renault, Tesla, which are all already selling full electric cars and just struggle with fulfilling the orders. If those manage to scale their production (probably of batteries), VW will have a hard time.
- clouddrover 7y agoThey'll release multiple models of electric vehicles across multiple brands every year from now on. You want a fanciful narrative that somehow ends in Volkswagen's ultimate doom, but it's not the practical reality.
- martin_a 7y agoWe'll see, up to now it's only talk and pre-orders.
- clouddrover 7y agoAn 80 billion euro investment from a company that sells over 10 million cars every year is not just "talk". You're clinging to a fantasy.
- Mrdarknezz 7y agoWon't really make any environmental difference since they'll have to produce more energy. Since germany utilizes gas and coal you will basically shift to that from petrol since they shutdown their nuclear power plant
- geff82 7y agoLast time I looked we are gradually shifting to completely renewable energies. It might yet take some time, but we will get there (hoping that we do not elect dumb politicians).
- Mrdarknezz 7y agoWell this wouldn't be a problem if you didn't shutdown your nuclear power plants. Now Germany is polluting more than ever.
- arpa 7y agoBut but but atomkraft, nein, danke. I swear, these people are exactly like PETA, exept they are dealing real damage to the planet.
- vk23 7y agoRadioactive waste is doing real damage to the planet. After decades of evaluation storage facilities germany has no option that is considered safe. We have a responsibility towards the following generations. This includes not warming the planet beyond no return and not polluting it with deadly waste. Both can be achieved with a shift towards renewable energy sources.
- Mrdarknezz 7y agoRenewable energy sources needs to be supported by power plants that can produce constantly. The only clean option is nuclear and hydro. Sweden has developed a safe storage which is used to stored used fuel.
- tonyedgecombe 7y agoI suspect this is much easier for a government to demand when they don't have a car industry to support.
- StreamBright 7y agoFirst I think we need an offering that is at least as good as the original you are trying to replace. How long can the best electric car go with one charge? Germany is a bit bigger than Ireland and you might want to drive 600 km in one go. Not saying I do not agree with you I am just saying in certain cases we are not there yet. The other question is about electric cars: what is the source of energy? Germany owns 7 out of the biggest CO2 production facilities in Europe. https://www.statista.com/chart/17582/megatonnes-of-co2-equivalent-in-the-eu/ https://www.statista.com/chart/17582/megatonnes-of-co2-equiv...