현대차그룹을 비롯한 기업들은 전기차 개발에 수조원을 투자하며 내연기관차를 뒷전에 두었으나, BMW는 전기차와 내연기관과의 공존을 주장하며 EU 친환경 정책에 반기를 들었다.

▲Hyundai Motor Company Ioniq 6 (Image source: Hyundai Motor Group)
Increasing demand for electric vehicles… Automakers focus on developing and selling electric vehicles
BMW, “We can achieve carbon neutrality with internal combustion engine E-Fuel”
[Editor's Note] As calls for stronger regulations to reduce CO2 emissions in the transportation sector grow louder, electric vehicles have begun to grow rapidly. Market research firm ReportLinker forecasted that the electric vehicle market will reach 3,500 trillion won in 2030. The EV Trend Korea and InterBattery events held at COEX in March were visited by approximately 46,000 and 60,000 people, respectively, proving the global interest in electric vehicles. Electric vehicles are gradually increasing in demand due to government subsidies, increased battery capacity, and various new functions, but risks such as battery thermal runaway and lack of charging infrastructure remain obstacles. There are also differences in how automakers view the 100% electric vehicle era. While companies including Hyundai Motor Group have invested trillions of won in the development of electric vehicles and have put internal combustion engine vehicles on the back burner, BMW has opposed the EU's environmentally friendly policies, insisting on the coexistence of electric vehicles and internal combustion engines.
■ Electric vehicles are the future
In 2020, global electric vehicles (BEVs) accounted for only about 2.22 million units, or 2.9% of all completed vehicles, but grew 115% to about 4.78 million units in 2021, establishing themselves as a clear trend.
According to the Korea Automobile Research Institute, global automobile sales in 2022 are expected to decline 1% to 80.63 million units, but electric vehicle (BEV) sales will increase 68% year-on-year to 8.02 million units, accounting for 9.9% of total sales.
In particular, electric vehicles showed remarkable growth, with China, Europe, and the United States accounting for 93.3% of global electric vehicle sales.
Last year, electric vehicles were sold in China, which has a strong domestic market, with over 5 million units sold, an increase of 86.1% year-on-year, ranking first in the global electric vehicle market.
In the US, sales of about 800,000 units increased by 58.9% year-on-year, thanks to steady sales of Tesla and Ford and expansion of new car sales by Hyundai Motor Group.
Europe also showed steady demand for electric vehicles, with more than 1.6 million units sold in 2022, but the growth rate (25.5% increase year-on-year) was lower than expected before the invasion due to increased electricity prices following Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
China ranked first again last year, following 2021, based on its domestic market.
Behind this growth is the goal of reducing automobile carbon emissions in line with global environmental regulations.
Europe to stop selling internal combustion engine vehicles by 2035 The electric vehicle market could grow even faster, with President Joe Biden announcing a policy to increase electric vehicle sales to 67% of new vehicle sales in the U.S. by 2032.
In response, automakers have announced plans to strengthen the electric vehicle ecosystem and discontinue or reduce sales of internal combustion engine vehicles.
On the 12th, Hyundai Motor Group announced that it will invest 24 trillion won in the domestic electric vehicle sector by 2030, focusing on research and development such as building a new electric vehicle-only plant, developing a next-generation electric vehicle-only platform, and expanding its product lineup.

▲Kia EV9 (Photo source: Hyundai Motor Group)
Hyundai Motor Group plans to have a total of 31 electric vehicle lineups by 2030, while Kia plans to launch the EV9 in 2023 and Hyundai plans to launch the Ioniq 7 in 2024.
Hyundai Motor Group also announced that it would stop releasing new internal combustion engine vehicles in its Genesis lineup starting in 2025, and has set a goal of stopping sales of internal combustion engines by 2035 and achieving full electrification by 2040.
Mercedes-Benz announced in October last year that it would convert all its vehicle models to BEVs by 2030, faster than Hyundai Motor Group.
To implement this strategy, Mercedes will invest 40 billion euros between 2022 and 2030, developing electric vehicle architectures and batteries, building charging systems and infrastructure, and expanding its electric vehicle production network.
Last year, Mercedes unveiled the 'New EQE SUV', which applied its own developed electric vehicle architecture, at the Digital World Premiere.It is showing an active stance toward electrification and has also announced plans to unveil three types of electric vehicle architectures: △MB.EA △AMG.EA △VAN.EA in 2025.
■ BMW opposes ban on sales of internal combustion engines
BMW is also working on electrification, but has a very negative view on the end of the internal combustion engine.
According to the German Handelsblatt media outlet in March, BMW is against all vehicles being electric and will continue to advance its gasoline and diesel engines for the next 10 years, updating its 4-, 6-, and 8-cylinder engines as well as its diesel engines, which are still in demand.

▲Oliver Zipse, BMW CEO (Photo source: BMW)
BMW CEO Oliver Zipse cited the fact that essential raw materials for electric vehicle batteries are only produced in a few countries as the reason for BMW's resistance to the ban on internal combustion engine vehicles.
Jeong Dae-han, head of the Mineral Resources Team at the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, said at the '2023 Global Battery Mineral Seminar' held at COEX on the 17th that lithium is deposited in large quantities in Chile and Australia, and that China is processing and processing it for use as cathode materials, and that China has a global production share of 60% of rare earth elements and 84% of tungsten.
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In Europe, there are concerns that the situation will only benefit China, which is expanding its electric vehicle portfolio and leading in key minerals.
BMW also believes that it is unreasonable to view electric vehicles as eco-friendly without resolving the significant carbon footprint of batteries.
Germany's recent move to challenge the EU's policy of banning the sale of internal combustion engine vehicles by 2035 appears to be giving BMW a boost in its strategy.
The German government has stated its position that sales of internal combustion engine vehicles using green hydrogen obtained through water splitting and E-Fuel, a synthetic fuel made from carbon dioxide, should not be banned without considering such cases, even though such cases can also achieve carbon neutrality.
The Korea Automobile Research Institute also published an industry trend report in August last year stating that E-Fuel has a CO2 reduction effect and can be used in existing internal combustion engine infrastructure, so it can be considered as one of the means to achieve carbon neutrality.
However, although the EU may partially recognize the CO2 emission reduction effect of internal combustion engine vehicles using E-Fuel, it is expected that mass production of E-Fuel will be difficult in the short term, so it is recommended not to have excessive expectations.
There were also opinions that the pace of transition to the electric vehicle era should be controlled.
The Korea Automobile Manufacturers Association and the European Automobile Association agreed at a regular meeting held in May last year that it is necessary to maintain technological neutrality between electric power sources such as E-Fuel, hydrogen cars, and electric cars and internal combustion engine technologies, and to regulate fuel efficiency and greenhouse gases. They agreed that since the mandatory sales system for electric vehicles and the mandatory sales system for electric vehicles are overlapping regulations, one of the two should be abolished or the regulatory penalties should be reasonably adjusted.>