Daimler, the parent company of car manufacturer Mercedes-Benz, says it will have a fully CO₂ neutral car fleet in 20 years. This may mean that the company will no longer make new cars with a combustion engine from 2039.
Mercedes’ plan, with the name Ambition2039, does not yet seem a hard requirement; it concerns an ambition, a target to make only CO₂ neutral cars for passengers from 2039. The company describes this as a ‘fundamental transformation of our business in less than three product cycles’. “That’s not much time when you consider that fossil fuels have dominated our business since the invention of the automobile by Carl Benz and Gottlieb Daimler about 130 years ago,” the company said.
This is not the only ambition expressed by the German company. By 2030, the manufacturer wants electric models to represent more than half of all car sales. This concerns both fully electrically powered models, such as the upcoming electric EQC SUV, and hybrids. The company previously indicated that it will offer electric versions of all its cars from 2022. Incidentally, cars with the Smart brand, owned by Mercedes-Benz, will no longer be equipped with combustion engines from 2020 onwards.
Mercedes also indicates that it will electrify vans, trucks and buses, without giving any further details. In addition, the company says it is striving for CO₂-neutral production. The forthcoming Factory 56 in Sindelfingen, Germany, is an example, as this factory will run on renewable energy and, according to Mercedes, will be CO₂ neutral from the start. From 2022, other factories should follow suit. The company also speaks of ‘a potential recycling ratio of 85 percent’ for its cars.
The manufacturer says that these ambitions are very challenging, both from a technological and financial point of view, but that he takes the plans very seriously. Mercedes reports that the Paris agreement is seen as ‘more than an obligation’ and that part of the revenues of the highest-ranking drivers will be made dependent on the sustainability targets achieved. Incidentally, the company is not very specific when discussing its ambitions; for example, it is unclear whether from 2039 only fully electrically powered passenger cars will be made.