VW plans to expand wind and solar power and operate cars with green electricity.
Despite a recent slowdown in demand for electric cars, Volkswagen continues to invest in wind and solar power. "In parallel with the ongoing sales of the ID. models, we plan to expand our commitment in the field of renewable energies further each year," said Andreas Walingen, chief strategist of VW's core brand. Volkswagen did not specify details about new projects and specific expansion targets. This also depends on how demand for electric cars develops.
Europe's largest car manufacturer announced in 2020 that it would invest a total of 40 million euros in new wind and solar parks in Europe by 2025. For implementation, VW relies on cooperation with local energy suppliers. The first project, together with RWE, went online at the end of 2021. Meanwhile, 26 facilities in nine European countries are in operation, including 8 wind and 18 solar parks, according to Walingen.
Electricity for 300,000 Households
It is about a "large-scale expansion of European wind and solar parks," which aims to enable a carbon-neutral operation of electric vehicles, explained Walingen. With the new wind and solar parks, VW intends to offset the energy consumption of the brand's electric cars that are still charged with conventional electricity.
Last year, this was already achieved: Together, the plants fed 1.1 terawatt-hours into the power grid. This corresponds to the consumption of around 300,000 households - or precisely the calculated power consumption of all VW ID models on Europe's roads, which currently are not yet charged with pure green electricity.
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