BMW R&D Boss Says EV Frenzy Is “Irrational,” Defends Diesel

On the surface, the entire automotive industry appears to agree that electric vehicles are the way forward.

Not all executives seem to agree with that way of assessing the future, though. BMW board member for development Klaus Fröhlich had some interesting things to say about EVs at the Paris Auto Show.

Speaking with GoAuto, the R&D boss issued a wake-up call to those who believe the global rollout of electro-mobility will happen overnight. “I think the discussion about electro-mobility is a little bit irrational,” Fröhlich said, adding that it is optimistic to assume all markets will adopt EVs simultaneously.

He cited a “very optimistic” scenario that says 30 percent of BMWs will be all-electric or plug-in hybrids and 7 percent will be combustion by 2030. “If you assume that, from this 30 percent, half of them are plug-in hybrids – I have 85 percent in my portfolio in 2030 with a combustion engine,” the exec pointed out.

While BMW is prepared for that scenario, Fröhlich (pictured above) said that a large portion of the world will continue to use combustion engines for a very long time. In that context, he reaffirmed the company’s commitment to diesel powertrains.

According to him, BMW builds the cleanest diesels at the moment. However, that doesn’t prevent EU politicians from waging war against all diesel engines, something Fröhlich doesn’t believe is right.

“We have a spiral in Europe where every politician sees only one solution – diesel bashing. From a CO2 and customer perspective, a modern diesel is a very good solution. Especially for heavy, high-performing cars,” the exec explained.

While BMW is committed to oil-burners, Fröhlich admitted that the future might bring fewer diesel variants in the lineup. For example, high-performance powertrains such as the M50d will disappear because the market for them is small. In addition, they’re a challenge to adjust to future emissions regulations.