Volkswagen is laying it on the line. And that line belongs to whatever track German railroad company Deutsche Bain occupies. The automaker's logistic wing — which is responsible for a myriad of functions from engineering to supply chain management — announced it will convert every vehicle in the Deutsche Bain fleet to electrical power by 2021.
Railways Almost Totally Green Already
The objective might sound radical to folks in the U.S., which has been slower than its European counterparts in converting its transportation infrastructure to more renewable energy sources, but 95 per cent of rail traffic in Germany is already green. Volkswagen already contracts Deutsche Bain for hauling much of the automaker's freight from raw materials and parts to finished vehicles across the country.
But Volkswagen plans to use Deutsche Bain a lot more. It already relies on the rail for 53 per cent of its freight; that includes nearly 200,000 freight cars annually, including almost 200 trains daily. That figure is set to jump to 60 per cent by 2022.
Gradual Elimination of CO2
Once Volkswagen realizes its goal, the environment will reportedly benefit from a reduction of 26,700 tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions between now and the time the conversion is complete.
"Each ton being transported by rail automatically reduces CO2 emissions by 80 per cent," said Sigrid Nikutta, Deutsche Baine's director and chair of its freight transport division. "By making this switch, Volkswagen is sending out a strong signal and giving its backing 100 per cent green transportation with no CO2 emissions."
Volkswagen Fleet Converting
It's not just the rail that's going the all-electric route. In an announcement made earlier in 2020, Volkswagen declared its plans to roll out 1.5 million cars by 2025. Predominant among those vehicles will be the ID. models from the ID.3 sedan to the ID.Crozz SUV. The company is also rumored to be bringing back the legendary Volkswagen Beetle as an all-green car.
SOURCE: Volkswagen