'Why spend a fortune on old technology?': Volkswagen boss calls ICE cars and e-fuels 'unnecessary' when looking into next decade

Volkswagen’s brand CEO Thomas Schafer has put the idea of e-fuels on blast, going against the business direction of fellow VW Group brand Porsche.

While Germany has just successfully overturned a proposition from the European Parliament to ban the sale of new internal combustion engine cars by 2035, the head of one of the world’s largest car brands is focused on battery electric cars. 

When asked by Automotive News Europe for his opinion on the matter, Schafer - who is the CEO of Volkswagen Passenger Car Brand, not the Volkswagen Group overall - didn’t mince words.

“That's unnecessary noise from my point of view,” he told the publication.

“By 2035 [combustion engines] are over anyway. We said by 2033 we're done. 

“By 2030 we plan that 80 per cent of our vehicles sold in Europe are battery electric, so why spend a fortune on old technology that doesn't really give you any benefit?”

Automotive News pressed, asking if Volkswagen Group CEO Oliver Blume had anything to do with the push behind the overturn.

“It's not Mr. Blume behind it. I guarantee that,” Schafer said.

Germany has just successfully overturned a proposition from the European Parliament to ban the sale of new internal combustion engine cars by 2035.

“This discussion around e-fuels is widely misunderstood. They have a role to play in existing fleets, but won't replace EVs. That's complete nonsense. 

“Look at the physics of making e-fuels. We don't have enough energy as it is, so why waste it on e-fuels?”

This comes after Volkswagen’s fellow VW Group brand, Porsche, has invested significantly in developing e-fuels and even plans to open a production plant in Tasmania.

“The potential of e-fuels is huge. There are currently more than 1.3 billion vehicles with combustion engines worldwide,” Porsche’s Head of Research and Development Michael Steiner said.

“Many of these will be on the roads for decades to come, and e-fuels offer the owners of existing cars a nearly carbon-neutral alternative.”