According to the CEO of Mercedes-Benz, Europe probably won't be prepared for all-electric sales by 2030

Ola Kaellenius, the chief executive of Mercedes-Benz, stated in an interview at the Munich auto show that the company does not anticipate having 100% electric vehicle sales in Europe by 2030 but that it will have a ready lineup.

The high-end automaker has long stated that it plans to sell only electric vehicles by 2030, “where markets allow,” stating that consumers will ultimately decide which products they prefer.

The automaker also emphasizes the need for infrastructure to support the switch to electric vehicles. Kaellenius said on the sidelines of the Munich show that while the European EV market had expanded significantly in recent years, it probably wouldn’t be ready for all-electric sales by 2030.

Naturally, from the entire European market, but most likely from the Mercedes side as well, it won’t be 100% in 2030, he said.

In reference to the capability of producing combustion-engine or electric vehicles on the same production line, he said, “We will be ready, but we will also have tactical flexibility.”

His remarks are in line with a growing reluctance among major global automakers to ramp up EV production and adoption as regulatory targets for capping fossil fuel-emitting vehicles get closer.

The 2026 review date for the EU’s 2035 ban on fossil fuel-emitting cars would not have been set, according to Oliver Zipse, CEO of BMW, at a roundtable on Saturday, even though Oliver Blume, CEO of Volkswagen, said the company would be prepared for the ban. In the first seven months of 2023, EV sales in Europe increased by almost 55% to about 820,000 units, accounting for about 13% of all auto sales.

Executives have, however, spoken out urgently about obstacles, such as high electricity costs and a lack of charging infrastructure, that prevent the production and sale of EVs on a larger scale and at competitive prices.

In China, Kaellenius predicted that the switch from combustion engines to EVs in the premium segment, which has not benefited from the same government support as mass-produced cars, would take “many years.”

Step by step, you have to convert the market,” he said, adding that Mercedes-Benz’s long-term plans for the nation would not be affected by the current economic slowdown.