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BMW and Daimler Sued by German Environmental NGO for Not Giving up on Fossil Fuels by 2030

German environmental NGO, Deutsche Umwelthilfe (DUH), is suing BMW and Daimler for refusing to tighten their carbon emissions targets and ditch internal combustion engine cars by 2030. The lawsuit was filed earlier this week.
BMW and Daimler concepts 6 photos
Photo: BMW
BMW and Daimler conceptsMercedes-Benz internal combustion engineMercedes-Benz internal combustion engineBMW internal combustion engineBMW internal combustion engine
In letters sent to the carmakers in early September, both were given until September 20 to agree to the NGO’s demands, which also include limiting production of fossil fuel vehicles before the clock strikes 2030.

As of right now, neither carmaker has set a deadline for canceling internal combustion engine car production. Furthermore, both companies have told Reuters that they haven’t accepted the NGO’s demands, and we would be pretty surprised if they ended up caving in to said demands.

If we were to break it down, it appears that all this commotion revolves around a 5-year period, as the EU has already proposed an ICE ban for 2035. However, the NGOs argue that such deadlines need to be tightened in order to meet the goals of the Paris climate accords and German climate law – Daimler and BMW have already stated that they are committed to the goals of the Paris climate accords and are clearly on a path to climate neutrality.

Could BMW and Daimler completely ditch internal combustion engines by the end of this decade? With a little over 8 years to go, it does seem a bit of a major squeeze, especially when you consider the actual life cycle of most of their products (around 6 years).

Take something like the BMW 3 Series for example. The most recent generation, the G20, went into production in mid-October of 2018. You most definitely won’t see its replacement in showrooms before sometime in 2024 or 2025, a car that will still utilize fossil fuels, to go with PHEV and EV drivetrains. Now, we certainly can’t imagine BMW throwing everything out the window and starting over with the development of the G20’s successor, can you?

While this lawsuit is likely going nowhere, we’ll just have to wait and see what happens.
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About the author: Sergiu Tudose
Sergiu Tudose profile photo

Sergiu got to experience both American and European car "scenes" at an early age (his father drove a Ford Fiesta XR2 supermini in the 80s). After spending over 15 years at local and international auto publications, he's starting to appreciate comfort behind the wheel more than raw power and acceleration.
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