Speaking out: Oliver Blume
The biggest threat to the electric car revolution is the failure of governments to keep pace with it, says Oliver Blume, global head of Volkswagen and Porsche.
Carmakers are doing their bit to provide enough zero-emissions vehicles, yet politicians who have set stringent deadlines to kill off petrol and diesel cars from 2030 are not providing public chargers fast enough, the boss of Europe’s largest car manufacturer claims.
Installing chargers was a collaboration between car makers, energy providers and the authorities. But governments and the EU needed to do more to help meet their own targets, Blume told me in an exclusive interview.
‘It’s not enough to define an ambitious target. You need a clear plan and timings,’ he said. ‘We will deliver the products. But government has to think about the charging infrastructure. We are prepared but need more support. Each filling station needs charging points.’
He was speaking just after unveiling Porsche’s £2 million electric Mission X hypercar to celebrate the company’s 75th anniversary at its HQ near Stuttgart.
Blume, 55, rules the giant Volkswagen group whose brands include Volkswagen, Audi, Skoda, Cupra, SEAT, Bugatti and Britain’s Bentley.
Porsche is also developing a synthetic fuel for internal combustion engines. It is persuading the German government and EU to accept it as a green alternative to electric.
The Mission X 200mph-plus two-seater 1,500 hp supercar will accelerate from 0 to 62mph in less than 2 seconds — and it aims to be the world’s fastest-accelerating car.
Fastest acceleration on the planet: Porsche’s £2million Mission X hypercar
It is expected to be produced in a limited run of about 1,000. Charging to 80 per cent is projected to be possible in under ten minutes.
Measuring 4.5m long, 2m wide and just 1.2m tall, the car’s all-wheel drive twin electric motor will run on 20in wheels at the front, 21in at the rear and is designed for the road as well as the track.
The firm aims to have 50 per cent of its vehicles pure electric by 2025, 80 per cent by 2030.
Hilo One e-scooter launches
Intelligent: Special safety features are designed to reduce accidents
Former Aston Martin boss Dr Andy Palmer swapped four wheels for two to launch the Hilo One e-scooter from the British tech startup he co-founded.
Special safety features are designed to reduce accidents — AI alerts the rider to potential dangers, using visual and audible warnings, and a pool of light warns pedestrians and other road users of its presence at night. Its 12.5 in front wheel improves stability.
A folding system transforms the Hilo One into a briefcase. Prices will start from about £1,750 from next year.
Two awards at motor industry ‘Oscars’
I am delighted to receive two gongs this week in the motor industry ‘Oscars’ — Automotive Consumer Journalist of the Year and a Lifetime Achievement award for my motoring coverage with the Mail over nearly three decades.
