97 Events https://autoregion.eu/en/termine Press https://autoregion.eu/de/presse Contact https://autoregion.eu/en/contact autoregion e. V. https://www.autoregion.eu/en However, to prevent job losses, it is imperative to have a climate policy perspective that is open to technology – especially with regard to the development and use of electricity-based fuels. As recently as October 2021, the German government had declared with regard to renewable fuels – so-called e-fuels – that technological openness would strengthen Germany as a mobility location, improve international competitiveness and secure high-quality jobs in our country. Less than 18 months after this publication, the same federal government agreed to a decision by the EU Council of Ministers that only zero-emission new cars may be registered in the European Union from 2035. It was only thanks to the persistence of the German Transport Minister, supported by his colleagues from Italy, Poland, the Czech Republic and Austria, that this decision did not finally put an end to the internal combustion engine. After tough negotiations, the EU Commission agreed to submit a proposal to introduce a “robust and circumvention-proof approval procedure” for vehicles fuelled exclusively with synthetic fuels. This seems to mean that the apodictic and final end of the internal combustion engine is off the table, even though the compromise solution found is not uncontroversial among experts. The view is already being expressed that this compromise is merely a test mandate to the Commission – the outcome is uncertain! But the very fact that it took a conflict-ridden debate rich in political insinuations to give the use of synthetic fuels any chance at all shows how far political opinion-makers have moved away from the principle of openness to technology and its positive consequences for the economy as a whole and employment in particular, which was still being flaunted until recently. Obviously, it is no longer a matter of researching, testing and developing sciencebased findings for their practical suitability and thus also setting employment policy accents. The focus is on the implementation of basic political convictions and party conference resolutions – without regard for the preservation of jobs, the defence of technological top positions and the competitiveness of our globally recognised automotive and supplier industry. Without necessity, an entire industry is being put up for grabs, which with its products is at the top of the world. And this is being done with the knowledge that it is not the internal combustion engine itself that is the climate-damaging problem, but the fuel used in the internal combustion engine. Despite the Brussels compromise solution, the stigmatisation of the internal combustion engine and thus also of synthetic fuels in politics and the public continues unabated. New calculations on the efficiency and ecobalance of e-fuels appear almost daily, only to come to the same conclusion again and again: Compared to the use of synthetic fuels in the combustion engine, the battery-electric drive has clear disadvantages in terms of efficiency, economy and environmental compatibility. Consequently – so the illusory conclusion – electromobility is without alternative as a mobile form of propulsion. And one of the most surprising aspects of this discussion is that the German trade unions almost unanimously share this view. Whereas in the past one was used to trade unions speaking out loudly with demands to preserve jobs even in the face of the smallest structural changes, they seem to have fallen almost silent with regard to the employment impact of the combustion ban and thus also the use of e-fuels. In a policy paper on EU legislation on CO2 fleet limits of May 2022, IG Metall rejects the inclusion of synthetic fuels within the system of car fleet limits. On the fundamental role of synthetic fuels, it states that they could play a limited role in reducing CO2 emissions in road transport, especially through blending and in segments that are difficult to electrify, such as aviation or heavy-duty and special vehicles. There is not a word in the declaration about the employment-securing effect of e-fuel technology – especially as a transitional solution. This ignorance of the employment opportunities that lie in the use of e-fuels is frightening. It is not only a matter of preventing job losses in the existing classic manufacturing segments of the powertrain. The possibilities of job creation in the power-to-X sector (electrolysers, conversion plants, CO2 separators) are also simply negated. In view of these positions, the question arises as to whether the trade unions are really still looking after the interests of their members in this issue in the due form and thus contributing to the preservation of large parts of our industry. The internationally strong position of our automotive and supplier industry depends not least on the high qualification potential of our employees. If they can no longer be sure of the support of their interest representation, this will not remain without consequences for the entire industry. Summary Transformation und Beschäftigung Von Armin Gehl, Geschäftsführer autoregion e. V., Saarbrücken Welche Auswirkungen der Transformationsprozess in der Automobilindustrie auf die Beschäftigung mittel- und langfristig haben wird, ist in hohem Maß selbst unter Fachleuten umstritten. Insbesondere die Umstellung auf E-Mobilität und der damit einhergehende Bedeutungsverlust von Verbrennungsmotor und des gesamten Antriebsstrangs werden nicht ohne Konsequenzen für die Beschäftigung bleiben. Bereits 2022 kündigte Jim Farley, CEO von Ford an, für den Bau von E-Autos 40 Prozent weniger Arbeiter zu benötigen als für die Herstellung eines Fahrzeugs mit klassischem Verbrennungsmotor. Damals noch belächelt oder nicht ernst genommen sind wir mit der angekündigten und zeitnah zu erwartenden Schließung des Ford Produktionswerkes in Saarlouis in der schmerzhaften Realität angekommen. 1970 gegründet waren hier zuletzt noch 4800 Mitarbeiter beschäftigt. Circa 1700 Beschäftigte arbeiten bei unmittelbaren Zulieferern in der näheren Region. Ford wird komplett seine Fertigung auf Elektromodelle umstellen und die Produktion an anderen Standorten konzentrieren. Ist dies der Modellfall für die gesamte Branche und drohen uns ähnliche Szenarien auch von unseren deutschen Herstellern? … Weiterlesen https://t1p.de/8luef
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