Volkswagen thinks it is absurd to build petrol engines after 2035

For many car enthusiasts it feels like a big win that major brands will still be allowed to build and sell combustion engines after 2035, but then of course there must be car companies that want to build petrol and diesel engines. Because even though Volkswagen is also allowed to build combustion engines after 2035, they won’t.

Thomas Schäfer, the big boss of Volkswagen, speaks in an interview with European Car News clear language. He calls eFuels ‘unnecessary noise’ and says that battery cars are the future. He says Volkswagen doesn’t want to spend “wealth” on “old technology that doesn’t do any good.”

According to Schäfer, many people do not understand the role of synthetic fuels: ‘They have a role in existing fleets, but they will not replace electric vehicles. That is pure nonsense. Look at the physics of making eFuels. We don’t have enough energy at the moment, so why waste it on electronic energy?’

Energy loss

Making synthetic oils takes a lot of energy. When making peut there is loss and later when burning, there is loss again. If you put power directly into the EV battery, you will get more power for the same amount of power. Volkswagen also makes similar arguments for not doing much with hydrogen for passenger cars.

According to the Volkswagen boss, eFuels are not the salvation of the petrol engine, but the juice is a way to make current cars a little greener. The brand wants to continue selling cars with combustion engines until 2033. With these cars they earn money to electrify the entire range. So you still have ten years to buy a petrol car from Volkswagen.