On Tuesday, the German premium car manufacturer BMW set a new 2035 milestone to cut CO2-equivalent emissions on the road to net zero. By 2035, the Munich-based company wants to emit at least 60 million tons of CO2 equivalents less than in 2019 – CO2 equivalents (CO2e) account for not only carbon dioxide but also other greenhouse gases.
The final goal is to achieve net zero by 2050 at the latest. The new 2035 milestone is a logical next step on this road toward advancing decarbonization.
The emissions calculation takes into account the CO2 equivalents generated during production, both at the car manufacturer itself and in the supply chain. Previously, BMW had set a goal of reducing emissions by at least 40 million tons between 2019 and 2030.
Decarbonization strategy
BMW also calculates how much greenhouse gas the cars sold in a given year will emit during their lifetime – more precisely, in 15 years with a mileage of 200,000 kilometers. For 2019, it was 150.1 million CO2e.
The target for 2030, stated in the 2024 annual report, is 108.6 million tons. However, by 2035, the figure is to be reduced by a further 20 tons compared to 2030, i.e., to less than 90 million tons. The BMW Group has intentionally set itself the additional 2035 milestone to advance its decarbonization strategy consistently.
Specific priorities
The key measures for achieving these results include increasing the use of renewable energy in production and the supply chain, increasing the use of secondary raw materials, improving efficiency in the use phase, and product and process innovations. The specific priorities are high-CO2e-emitting components, such as high-voltage batteries, aluminum, and steel.
The BMW Group also applies high standards in production. Since 2020, all electricity sourced from external suppliers for all plants worldwide has come exclusively from renewable sources. BMW is also working continuously to replace fossil fuels. The new iX3 plant in Debrecen, Hungary, is the BMW Group’s first car factory to produce vehicles without any fossil fuels, such as oil and gas, in standard operation.
