Volkswagen may be bound to eternal penitence for its Dieselgate shemozzle, but good things are coming of it. Today VW announced plans to give its new electric cars the ability to go carbon neutral for their entire life cycles.
While there are some people buying electric cars purely because of their otherworldly performance, the average early EV buyer tends toward the planet-conscious side of the spectrum. So Volkswagen is trying to make sure its upcoming electric vehicles are not only emissions-free on the road, but throughout the entire production process.
Moving toward a portfolio of 20 full BEVs by 2025, the company that cheated emissions tests on its diesel vehicles has "focused the entire value chain" of its ID range "on the goal of avoiding and reducing CO2 emissions." The VW plant in Zwickau has moved to 100 percent renewable energy, unavoidable manufacturing emissions are being "offset by investments in certified climate projects," and the company is looking back as far as raw materials suppliers to work out where further kilos of CO2 can be eliminated from the process, estimating that these efforts could save as much as a million tons of CO2 emissions per year from the manufacturing process.
VW has its own fast charging subsidiary, Elli, offering owners renewably-sourced power for top-ups, but it's up to the driver to hold up their end of the carbon neutral deal by making sure they charge with green power.
The first car to benefit will be the ID.1 compact hatch, coming in late 2019, followed by the ID. CROZZ1 SUV, the ID. BUZZ1 electric Kombi and the ID. VIZZION1 sedan.
Source: Volkswagen
