OEM&Lieferant Ausgabe 2/2021

87 technology, they had not succeeded in do- ing this for years. Even if German, European and American OEMs are working flat out on the development of electrically powered vehicles and have achieved considerable success with new models, the top position has been lost in some areas of technology. Companies from China, Japan and South Korea are ahead of the pack when it comes to battery technology, which is essential for electric drives. There are still a number of unanswered questions, especially in battery technology, and particularly when it comes to recycling batteries that are no longer suitable for vehi- cle propulsion. There is still a lack of suitable framework conditions for the further use of used batteries outside the vehicle. The re- covery of valuable raw materials such as lith- ium, manganese, cobalt or nickel is possible according to the current state of technology, but with the current processes it is still too energy-consuming and too expensive. In the absence of adequate disposal volumes, it has not yet been possible to develop a really viable recycling business model. In every scenario of phasing out combustion technology, the fate of around 1.2 billion ex- isting vehicles worldwide remains open. Will the ban on new registrations be followed by a driving ban for vehicles with internal com- bustion engines? Threatened and partially implemented diesel driving bans in major German cities give a foretaste of conceiv- able developments. And the age of existing vehicles – at least in Germany – is getting higher and higher. The cars registered in Germany are on average 9.8 years old. Last but not least, this phenomenon is also an expression of reluctance to buy in view of unclear future regulations on the motor ve- hicle market and an insufficiently available infrastructure for electric drives in large parts of Germany. In order to solve the problem of the envi- ronmentally harmful existing vehicles, the development and widespread introduction of synthetic fuels – so-called e-fuels – is al- most necessary. If it is possible – and the chances are good – to produce sufficient amounts of synthetic fuels in an econom- ically justifiable and climate-neutral way, a large part of the stock of vehicles could continue to be used with little retrofitting. The production of electric vehicles with en- vironmentally harmful battery technology could at least partially be replaced by the production of vehicles with environmentally friendly, CO2-neutral combustion technolo- gy. This would also secure the high tech- nological level of the internal combustion engine, which is important for competition, for our industry. The infrastructure problem would also ap- pear in a completely different light. The existing filling station network would be available for synthetic fuels and the costly expansion of charging stations for electric Press releases https://t1p.de/tr5k autoregion e.V. https://t1p.de/9zqv Share Summary Kein Nachruf – Zur Zukunft des Verbrennungsmotors Das Ende oder zumindest das künftige Verbot des Verbrennungsmotors scheint conditio sine qua non für einen klimaneutralen Verkehr zu sein. So wird es zumindest in Teilen von Politik und Presse kolportiert. Die schein- bar einfache Lösung und die damit verbundene Priorisierung batterie- elektrischer Antriebe negiert jedoch gewichtige Probleme – ein Plädoyer für mehr Technologieoffenheit. Im Parteiprogramm der GRÜNEN heißt es wörtlich: „ Ab dem Jahr 2030 wollen wir nur noch abgasfreie Neuwagen zu- lassen.“ Die SPD geht davon aus, dass die Zukunft elektrischen Antrieben ge- höre, ohne dafür ein konkretes Datum zu nennen. Für die LINKE ist der Ausstieg aus dem Verbrennungsmotor bis spätes- tens 2030 klimapolitisch alternativlos. Sie fordert darüber hinaus ein Exportverbot für PKW mit Verbrennungsmotor. Auch weite Teile der Presse gehen vom bevorstehenden Ende des Verbrennungs- motors aus. So hat Gerald Traufetter im SPIEGEL vom 05.06.2021 das Jahr 2045 zum definitiven Ende der „Ära der Ver- brenner“ ausgerufen – das Jahr in dem Deutschland klimaneutral sein soll. Sogar einige Hersteller haben sich vom Verbrenner verabschiedet. So erklärte … Weiterlesen https://t1p.de/hzor vehicles, especially in rural regions, could at least partially be dispensed with. The realization that the nationwide expan- sion of an electric charging infrastructure can only be achieved in the long term and also at immense costs seems to be gaining ground in China, the world’s largest car mar- ket. How else can it be explained that Daim- ler, together with its Chinese shareholder and partner Geely, decided to develop new three- and four-cylinder hybrid engines in the future and produce them in China. A ban on the combustion engine for the commercial vehicle sector would be fatal and its consequences cannot be foreseen. The realization that the battery-electric drive variant is not an alternative – at least in long-distance transport – is increasingly gaining ground. Too long charging times and excessive weight of the battery unit prevent economical driving. Well-known manufac- turers are relying on the hydrogen combus- tion engine and fuel cell technology, which is already well advanced in development. Last but not least, this is also a clear sign that the ban on the internal combustion engine cannot be the solution to all environmental problems in the transport sector. Rather, the demand for a ban on the internal combus- tion engine misses the mark. The fact is that fossil fuels such as gasoline and diesel are harmful to the climate and the environment. Keeping them up is not really an option. Banning these fuels does not automatical- ly mean banning the internal combustion engine. If climate-neutral fuels are available, nothing speaks against the use of combus- tion technology. Hildegard Müller, President of the VDA, put it in a nutshell in an interview with the “Süddeutsche Zeitung” with the statement: “The problem is not the engine, but the fossil fuel.” Unfortunately, politicians have not yet recog- nized this to the extent necessary. The na- tional implementation of the EU Renewable Energy Sources Directive (REDII) still lacks a minimum quota for hydrogen and electrici- ty-based fuels. It would be desirable if not only the federal government but also the EU administration corrected this promptly. Exiting combustion technology would not only be a mistake for reasons of employment and competition. It would also make it much more difficult to achieve the ambitious cli- mate targets with regard to decarbonising the transport sector.