Pushing for green mobility Daimler

PUSHING FOR GREEN MOBILITY

Daimler announced a shift towards a carbon-neutral transport future, and set itself ambitious new sustainability targets. The company has not yet decided to stop combustion engine development, but plans to make its cars entirely CO2-neutral by 2039

Daimler is one of the world’s most successful automotive companies. With its three Mercedes-Benz Cars & Vans, Daimler Trucks & Buses, and Daimler Mobility divisions, the group is one of the leading global suppliers of premium and luxury cars and one of the world’s largest manufacturer of commercial vehicles. Daimler’s vehicles and services are sold in in nearly every country of the world and with production facilities in Europe, North and South America, Asia, and Africa, the group has a true global footprint.

The company’s founders, Gottlieb Daimler and Carl Benz, made history by inventing the automobile in 1886. True to this legacy, the group’s focus remains on innovative technologies as well as on safe and superior vehicles that both captivate and inspire.

Daimler continues to invest systematically in the development of efficient powertrains – from high-tech combustion engines and hybrid vehicles to all-electric powertrains with battery or fuel cell – with the goal of making locally emission-free driving possible in the long term. Daimler is also focused on the intelligent connectivity of its vehicles, autonomous driving and new mobility concepts.

Ambition2039

The group launched its first purpose-built electric car in 2019, the EQC, a large SUV. Before the EQC’s arrival, Daimler offered electric cars only as a modification of models originally developed for conventional combustion engines, a serious limitation when it comes to their interior design. In the same vein as VW, Daimler has developed a dedicated vehicle architecture for pure e-cars, on which the EQC is based.

In time with the rollout of the EQC, Daimler also committed to a more general climate initiative dubbed “Ambition2039”. Under this heading, Mercedes-Benz Cars has set itself ambitious yet realistic goals. As part of this, the automotive manufacturer is examining the issue of sustainability along the entire value chain. The goal is the transformation of

the full range of passenger cars into a carbon-neutral product range as of 2039. This includes – from socially and climate-friendly degraded raw materials, through the supply chain, and the production of the vehicles – all stages up to the use phase as well as recycling concepts.

Already during the development of a new model, Mercedes-Benz Cars looks at its environmental performance over the entire life cycle. Vehicles from Mercedes-Benz Cars are scrutinised in a comprehensive life-cycle assessment, the so-called 360-degree environmental check: from manufacture of the raw materials to production and from vehicle operation to recycling at the end of the vehicle’s service life – a long way off in the case of a new Mercedes-Benz.

Gunnar Güthenke, Head of Procurement and Supplier Quality, Mercedes-Benz Cars, said: “Together with our partners, we are implementing the Mercedes-Benz Ambition 2039. Almost half of our approximately 2,000 suppliers have signed an ‘Ambition Letter of Intent’ and are committed to supplying us with only CO2 neutral parts in the future. These companies account for more than half of the annual purchasing volume of Mercedes-Benz AG.”

“This is an important proof point on the way to achieving our climate goals: our supplier network has also recognised the signs of the times, and is following the transformation. We place an additional focus on particularly CO2-intensive components and materials such as battery cells. We are also in the process of setting up a tracking system that will enable us to see how CO2 emissions are reduced over time,” he acknowledged. The company is in close dialogue with all other suppliers to jointly develop strategies for CO2 reduction.

Towards electrification

Despite the global pandemic, 2020 turned out to be a good year for the group. With its workforce of around 288,500, Daimler sold 2.8 million vehicles, with revenue amounting to €154.3 billion. The key figures reflect a good performance based on improving markets and strong products, combined with diligent cost discipline and extensive cash-preservation measures.

In 2020, Mercedes-Benz tripled global sales of plug-in hybrids and all-electric vehicles to more than 160,000 units, increasing the electric vehicle share to more than 7 percent, from 2 percent in 2019.

Harald Wilhelm, Member of the Board of Management of Daimler AG, responsible for Finance & Controlling/Daimler Mobility, summarised the development: “Our strong product portfolio and the positive market recovery drove us to a good performance. We have successfully pushed forward our comprehensive efforts regarding cost control and cash management. With this momentum, we are on track to make our business more weatherproof. However, the transformation of Daimler is a long-distance race. We are keeping up the pace with focus and full discipline.”

The company confirmed that 2021 stands above all for the acceleration of electrification at Mercedes-Benz Cars. A total of four new Mercedes-EQ models will be presented: the EQA, EQB, EQE and EQS. n