BMW board member Ilka Horstmeier insists that car companies are not the environmentalists’ enemy
BMW board member Ilka Horstmeier insists car companies are not the environmentalists’ enemy as she oversees introduction of more sustainable methods of productionIlka Hosrtmeier, BMW’s board member for human resources and its labour relations chief, was previously head of engine production in Munich and also in charge of planning for the switchover from petrol power to electric propulsion. Photograph: Paddy McGrathis a company that really looks for solutions,” says Ilka Hosrtmeier.
“There are people on one side who say that action is not being taken fast enough, and on the other side people who say everything is moving too quickly. All fringes are fuelled by populists, and they are spreading uncertainty. I hope you will agree that we should not cede the debate on sustainability to these populists, because it doesn’t lead to any new or better solution.”
“Charging infrastructure is a major issue around the world, and you can see a range of different speeds in that regard if you go from the north to the south of Europe, or the east to the west. If you look globally, then BMW is present in 140 markets around the world, and there are huge differences between how those countries will proceed towards electrification.”There is also, says Horstmeier, the issue of green energy, which is far from prevalent just yet.
To illustrate the point, BMW brought along its i-Vision Circular concept car to the One Young World conference in Belfast, on the fringes of which this interview took place. The Circular is a curvy, futuristic MPV with an interior that seems to contain comfy armchairs, and whose exterior is made of anodised aluminium so that it doesn’t need paint. More importantly, it’s like a giant Lego kit – everything has been designed around being easy to dismantle and reuse.
There is also the issue of employment, and that’s something close to Horstmeier’s heart. There have been many concerns raised that the move to build mechanically simpler electric cars will lead to inevitable job losses in the industry. After all, by taking out an engine and replacing it with an electric motor, you’re essentially removing several hundred components and replacing them with one.
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