German automotive manufacturer Daimler has become the latest in the industry to announce sweeping new plans to decarbonise its fleet, unveiling a strategy to ensure Mercedes-Benz Car’s fleet becomes fully ‘carbon neutral’ within 20 years.
Dubbed Ambition2039, the strategy features a raft of interim targets designed to slash emissions across the company’s manufacturing operations and supply chain while also rapidly expanding its fleet of electric models.
Specifically, the company said it aimed to have plug-in hybrids or all-electric vehicles make up more than half its car sales by 2030.
It also pledged to deliver ‘carbon neutral’ production in Europe as of 2022, agree concrete emission reduction measures with suppliers, and enable joint design of green infrastructure.
Speaking at the launch of the new strategy, future chairman of the board of management for Daimler, Ola Källenius, hailed the new plan as heralding a major step change in the development of the iconic company.
“Let’s be clear what this means for us: a fundamental transformation of our company within less than three product cycles,” he said.
“That’s not much time when you consider that fossil fuels have dominated our business since the invention of the car by Carl Benz and Gottlieb Daimler some 130 years ago.
“But as a company founded by engineers, we believe technology can also help to engineer a better future.”
Mr Källenius was speaking as the company hosted a media test drive session for the new Mercedes-Benz EQC, which he described as “the first of an entire generation of electric Mercedes models”.
“We will continue to offer our customers performance and luxury from Mercedes,” he said, adding that the company’s R&D team was now “working together with established partners and start-ups alike to bring EV performance up and costs down”.
He also confirmed the strategy would stretch beyond the electrification of the company’s cars and would see it expand its mobility services offering and electrify its vans, trucks, and buses.
He stressed the company was continuing to invest in fuel cell technologies.
“Our current focus is on battery-electric mobility,” he said.
“But there’s also room and need to continue to work on other solutions, for example, the fuel cell or eFuels.
“Our GLC F-CELL is one proof point. This technology will also find use in our city buses.
“Today, no one knows for sure which drivetrain mix will best serve our customers’ needs 20 years from now.
“That’s why we encourage policy makers to pave the way for tech neutrality: Let’s fix the target, but not the means to achieve it.”
Mr Källenius said the company’s commitment to slashing carbon emissions in line with United Nations sponsored Paris Agreement would stretch into its manufacturing operations and supply chains.
“To us the Paris Agreement is more than an obligation, it’s our conviction,” he said.
“And we have set a clear course to help prevent further acceleration of climate change.”
However, he acknowledged that the transformation of the company presented a “huge challenge” both technologically and financially.
“How do we deal with this?” he asked.
“One way would be to shy away and just try to safeguard the status quo.
“But that would not serve our purpose – and certainly not our future.
“So, we prefer doing what our founders have done: They became system architects of a new mobility without horses. Today, our task is individual mobility without emissions.”
The announcement is the latest in a string of moves by automotive majors around the world to electrify their fleets and slash emissions across their operations as they respond to ever more stringent regulations and fuel standards, as well as growing consumer and corporate demand for zero emission models.
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