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BusinessDay www.businessday.co.za Tuesday 23 November 2021
INSIGHTS
BMW E-MOBILITY Sponsored content
Country to usher in new era of electric motoring
SA must •prepare to
embrace global trend, writes Pedro van Gaalen
E
lectro-mobility (e-mobility) is a rapidly growing trend across the globe as the world seeks to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and usher in an era of sustainable, efficient mobility. “There is rising pressure on global vehicle manufacturers to adopt carbon-minimised and carbon-neutral personal mobility solutions. This will happen sooner than we think,” says Deena Govender, Head of Corporate Communications and Governmental Affairs at BMW Group South Africa. “The regulatory landscape in major economic regions such as Europe, North America and Asia is changing rapidly to meet stringent electric vehicle (EV)only deadlines for passenger cars. These changes will define the products developed and sold in the rest of the world.” And Covid-19 accelerated EV adoption. Countries such as France, Germany, Spain and Austria launched stimulus packages with subsidies on new EVs to boost economic recovery while reducing emissions and
enhancing green technologies. In Norway — the world’s biggest EV market — 54% of all vehicles sold in 2020 were EVs. Since establishing Project i in 2007 and launching the BMW i3 in 2013 — the first series EV out of this initiative — the BMW Group has sold more than 700,000 EVs and helped drive the global shift to e-mobility. “We aim to have at least 1million EVs on the roads by the end of 2021. Between 2021 and 2025, the BMW Group plans to increase sales of fully-electric models by an average of more than 50% per year, with about 10-million fully-electric vehicles on the roads in the next decade.” The BMW Group expects fully-electric vehicles to account for at least 50% of its global sales in 2030. Comparatively, SA’s EV penetration rate lags the global average, with roughly 1,000
registered vehicles on the road, according to CleanTechnica data. However, industry stakeholders are working with the government to advance e-mobility in SA. These roleplayers are working on standards, charging infrastructure, industrial policy and the economics of the transition to electric vehicles. “While no government incentives currently exist to encourage customers to purchase EVs, the Auto Green Paper published earlier this year by the department of trade, industry & competition points to a wide-reaching shift in policy,” explains Govender. A major factor includes addressing Eskom’s electricity generation constraints. “EVs have not been shown to have a significant drain on the power supply and we remain optimistic SA can resolve the
current power supply crisis,” says Govender. And BMW Group South Africa continues to work with the government and industry stakeholders to help find solutions that take pressure off the grid and support affected customers. These measures include recommending EV owners charge their vehicle whenever it is not in use, and charging overnight during off-peak periods. “Many of our customers within the premium segment also have access to solar and off-grid solutions at their homes and workplaces to meet their charging requirements.” Fortunately, SA has a head start on charging infrastructure to support the transition. It ranked fifth globally in the ratio of public EV chargers to EVs in 2020, according to the IEA Global EV Outlook 2021 report. “Nationally, there are about 260 charging stations and all chargers are compatible with BMW vehicles. We will also continue to invest in our retailer network and public charging stations as EV sales increase,” says Govender. Furthermore, BMW Group South Africa will soon launch many new models that offer significantly increased range. “We are now in the fifth generation of our BMW eDrive drivetrain, which is available in models primed for imminent
EVs help to drive a sustainable future
introduction into SA, such as the BMW iX, BMW i4 and the BMW iX3. These vehicles promise a range of up to 630km.” Fully-electric versions of the BMW 5 and 7 Series, the BMW X1 and the successor to the MINI Countryman and other models will follow. “This will go a long way to tackling range anxiety in a country like SA where drivers typically cover long distances. “We are confident we will jointly solve all challenges facing e-mobility adoption, and it is imperative we do. The transition to EVs is a global trend and SA must prepare to embrace it.” BMW also believes that physically spending time driving an EV is one of the best ways for potential customers to understand the shift from internal combustion engines. “An EV offers a new driving sensation thanks to the torque available from standstill, which delivers spontaneous acceleration. Yet the almost silent electric drive delivers a relaxed driving experience.” The BMW Group will continue introducing EVs across all brands and models, including Rolls-Royce and the BMW M series range. “We are pleased with the strides made with the BMW i brand in SA. We will continue driving the expansion of emobility as the shift to EVs is unavoidable,” says Govender.
SA recently adopted more ambitious emission targets at COP26, where the country committed to reduce 350-420 megatons of carbon dioxide (CO2) equivalent by 2030. According to the department of forestry, fisheries & the environment, mitigation strategies in the energy and transport sectors, together with other measures, will enable SA to achieve these targets. And the transition to electro-mobility (e-mobility) will play an increasingly important role. Promoting higher electric vehicle (EV) adoption will have a direct benefit on the environment as these vehicles generate about 50% fewer greenhouse gas emissions over their life span compared to internal combustion engines, according to information from UC Berkeley School of Law’s Center for Law, Energy and the Environment. To help reduce CO2 emissions from the use phase of vehicles, the BMW Group aims to at least halve CO2 emissions per vehicle and kilometre driven from 2019 by 2030. “The most powerful driver on this path to climate neutrality is e-mobility, with the BMW Group’s Neue Klasse set to provide significant momentum to the market,” says Deena Govender, Head of Corporate Communications and Governmental Affairs at BMW Group South Africa. However, climate-friendly mobility is not automatically
Deena Govender … momentum. created through more EVs on the road. Says Govender: “It is crucial to reduce primary material use, and the related environmentally harmful exploitation of resources and their often CO2-intensive processing, especially in a resource-intensive industry such as car manufacturing.” The BMW Group has set firm and verifiable interim goals for 2030 throughout its value chain as production generates about 90% of the company’s emissions. These targets include reducing CO2 emissions per vehicle produced, which has fallen more than 70% since 2006. The company now aims to reduce its emissions from 2019 by a further 80% by 2030. In addition to sourcing 100% green power as of this year, the BMW Group will drive further expansion of renewable energy sources at its worldwide locations, including green hydrogen at suitable sites.
Other aspects of sustainability include energyefficient installations and water management — it already reduced its water consumption by more than 30% since 2006. The company is also a member of the Science-Based Targets Initiative (SBTI) and signed the Business Ambition for 1.5°C pledge ahead of COP26. Another part of BMW’s approach to sustainability entails significantly increasing the percentage of secondary materials in its vehicles. “On average, we manufacture current vehicles using almost 30% recycled and reusable materials. With the ‘Secondary First’ approach, we plan to successively raise this figure to 50%,” says Govender. The BMW Group also showcased its i Vision Circular concept at the recent IAA, which demonstrated the consistent design of a car according to circular economy principles. “The design goal is to create a vehicle that is optimised for closed material cycles and achieves a 100% recyclability rate, including the energy storage system.” Locally, BMW Group Plant Rosslyn outside Pretoria has partnered with Bio2Watt, an industrial-scale biogas wasteto-energy company based in Bronkhorstspruit. “This partnership, formed in 2015, is part of the company’s strategy to achieve carbonneutral production at the plant,” says Govender.
DRIVE BOUNDLESS, EXPERIENCE A RANGE UP TO 630KM.
DRIVE
TOMORROW,
TODAY.
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