Volkswagen : CEO Herbert Diess is demanding binding expansion plans for the charging infrastructure from the EU. The coal phase-out must also be accelerated. ...

Diess described the still high share of coal-fired power generation in Eastern Europe and Germany as the 'biggest problem' on the way to climate neutrality. 'Seven of the ten largest CO₂ emitters in Europe are German coal-fired power plants,' he said. Up to now, the EU has treated electricity as a 'national patchwork quilt. This must change,' Diess said. 'We need a European coal exit plan with binding phase-out dates for each member state. Otherwise we have no chance to reach our climate goals. The energy for electric vehicles must be CO₂-free!'

Against this background, the CEO referred to the Volkswagen Group's announcement that it intends to bring the CO₂ emissions of its fleet to zero by 2050 - the aim is to achieve a 30 percent reduction by 2025. However, the switch to electric mobility would be difficult to achieve if the power supply continued to rely primarily on coal, which would mean that carbon dioxide emissions could not be reduced significantly. Volkswagen is investing around 33 billion euros in electromobility over the next few years.