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BMW board encourages separate highway lane for electric vehicles

(dpa/fn) The Munich-based automobile manufacturer is critical of the EU combustion engine ban and instead prefers more traffic privileges for electric vehicles.

Employees at BMW are working on the bodywork of various models of the automaker in the main plant's production. The BMW board now proposes a dedicated highway lane for electric cars. (Photo: Sven Hoppe/dpa)
Employees at BMW are working on the bodywork of various models of the automaker in the main plant's production. The BMW board now proposes a dedicated highway lane for electric cars. (Photo: Sven Hoppe/dpa)
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von Franziska Neuner

BMW production board member Milan Nedeljković wants to clearly prioritize electric cars in road traffic to stimulate demand.

"For instance, privileged access to city centers, free parking spaces, or a dedicated lane on the highway," he told the "Münchner Merkur" last week: "If people were constantly overtaken by electric cars while stuck in traffic, many would certainly reconsider switching."

Such preferential treatment would be an alternative to the combustion engine ban planned by the EU. State purchase incentives as a motivation are also not sustainable in the long run, said Nedeljković.

2024: One Million Cars from German BMW Plants

Despite criticism of Germany as a location, BMW is significantly ramping up production here:

"We will build more than one million cars in Germany this year," announced the board.

Last year, BMW produced 936,000 cars in Dingolfing, Munich, Regensburg, and Leipzig, 729,000 in China, and 411,000 in the USA. Worldwide, it was 2.66 million. 

Over the past five years, the company has invested five billion euros in its German plants, said Nedeljković. They are profitable.

"But one thing is certain: it is becoming increasingly difficult at our home location in terms of competition."

The reasons are bureaucracy, expensive energy, and high location costs. The industry also needs a solid road network, reliable rail service, and digital infrastructure. 

"Currently, however, we are experiencing an exodus of industrial companies, especially in the mid-sized business sector and among suppliers. What we actually need is the exact opposite, namely the establishment of new technologies," said the BMW board. 

Criticism of EU Climate Policy 

The BMW production chief also criticized EU plans to calculate a company's carbon footprint in battery production based on the power mix of the entire country. This would penalize companies like BMW that invest in sourcing green energy:

"Our carbon footprint would then be assessed using the German power mix, including coal-generated electricity. This would significantly worsen our balance sheet on paper," said Nedeljković. "This would remove the incentive to strive for the most climate-neutral production possible."

Translated automatically from German.
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