BMW wants dedicated motorway lanes for electric cars

In addition to incentives and free parking, the European Parliament is recommending other measures to facilitate the transition.

By: Alberto Carmone

Aug 17, 2024 at 3:18am ET

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According to BMW, there are other ways of giving the necessary impetus to the transition to electric vehicles other than purchase incentives.

In an interview with Munchner Merkur, Milan Nedeljkovic, BMW board member responsible for production, proposed the creation of dedicated electric vehicle lanes on motorways and free parking spaces for battery-powered models.

The proposal

While the second point is already a reality in several cities, the creation of dedicated lanes on major roads would have a positive impact on the image of these models. Indeed, according to Mr Nedeljkovic, "if people were constantly being overtaken by electric cars in traffic, they might seriously consider changing vehicles".

BMW iX1

According to the director, this solution would be more feasible than public subsidies, which, he continues, are not viable in the long term, although they are necessary in this period of transition.

Nedeljkovic also believes that the EU's objective of banning combustion engines by 2035 is unrealistic. The idea of having as many electric cars on the road as possible is a good one, but the timetable is too tight.

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The question of production

Mr Nedeljkovic also expressed concern about EU plans to calculate the CO2 footprint of battery production on the basis of the country's overall energy mix.

This approach, he explained, would penalise companies such as BMW that are investing in green energy: "Our CO2 footprint would be calculated on the basis of the German energy mix, which includes energy produced from coal, which would considerably worsen our balance sheet in formal terms," said Mr Nedeljkovic. "This would no longer give companies an incentive to produce in the most climate-sustainable way possible."

BMW's CEO also spoke about the company's production situation.

Over the past five years, the group has invested €5 billion in its German factories, confirming their profitability. However, Mr Nedeljkovic warned that local competition is becoming increasingly difficult due to factors such as bureaucracy, energy costs and high operating costs.