Deciding to move to full electric earlier than expected.
In May this year, car manufacturer Mercedes-Benz announced plans to stop selling traditional combustion engine cars (petrol and diesel) by 2039 and instead they would focus only on carbon-neutral vehicles (electric drive). This statement came from Ola Kallenius, the then head of Mercedes research and development who a week later succeeded Dieter Zetsche as chairman of the Daimler group.
He added that Daimler was looking at synthetic fuels to be produced with renewable energy so as to allow hybrid cars to run without CO2 emissions, but these fuels are not yet on the market.
Daimler had an aim to achieve a 50 percent share of sales for electric vehicles by 2030 and promised to make its European car factories CO2 neutral by 2022, Kaellenius added.
German car manufacturers like Volkswagen, Audi, Porsche, BMW and Mercedes-Benz are taking the plunge on electric power faced with looming tougher emissions rules in the European Union from 2020, which are loaded with hefty financial penalties if they are breached.
But now it seems that Daimler has decided to fast track its vehicle electrification plans.
Full Electrification
This week, German automotive magazine, Auto Motor and Sport has just reported that Daimler has now announced that it will be leaving the development of internal combustion engines for the time being.
The group has just refreshed its range of internal combustion engines and now it’s time for a break. Daimler engine development chief Markus Schaefer emphasizes that the main focus is now on the electrification, electric drives and battery development. It is also about shifting capacity from combustion engine and transmission development to new development areas.
The Last Petrol Engine
Daimler is currently bringing the latest generation of internal combustion engines to market in various models, such as the new inline six-cylinder engine for the E and S-Class as well as their SUV range. After this range is introduced, there are no plans for next generation of petrol engines.
