Volkswagen accelerate plans to be fully electric by 2030.

Volkswagen accelerate plans to be fully electric by 2030.

Volkswagen continue to accelerate its electrification plans by doubling their previous target, now pledging that by 2030 more than 70% of its cars sold in Europe will be fully electric.

The company aim to make Volkswagen a truly attractive brand for sustainable mobility, with boss Ralf Brandstatter stating that “the automotive industry is changing fast” and as a company “we will fundamentally change Volkswagen in the coming years”.

Volkswagen plan to invest heavily in developing software and digital technology, but Brandstatter added that combustion engine cars will continue to be an important key for the business, stating “we will still need combustion engines for a while, but they should be as efficient as possible”.

As part of their Accelerate strategy, Volkswagen has committed to launching a least one electric vehicle (EV) per year to meet electric sales targets. By the end of this year, 2021 will see the company release not one but three EV’s. A four-wheel-drive ID.4 GTX alongside the ID.5, a coupe-styled SUV. Further ahead into 2022, we will see the production version of the ID Buzz arriving as well as the ‘Aero B’ estate.

Most new non-zero-emission vehicles in the UK will be banned by 2030, although an exemption will be made until 2035 for hybrid vehicles that have the capability of running on electric power. Which means we can expect to see Volkswagen models such as the Golf, offered in the UK for a while longer.

The future of the automotive industry has already taken shape, but according to Brandstatter, "the key is digitalisation. The car is now a software-driven product, like an internet device. Cars will become more intelligent and safer".