Volkswagen Says Next Gen Fossil Fuel Vehicles to be Their Last
December 7, 2018
In the continuing wake of the “Dieselgate” exhaust emissions scandal, Volkswagen is doubling down on its commitment to electric vehicles by saying that their next generation of vehicle designs, that will start to arrive in 2026, will be the last engineered for gasoline and diesel powertrains. After those run their normal lifespan, around 2050, VW says it will only make CO2 neutral vehicles. In other words, those using some form of battery electric or fuel cell power. This is quite a statement from the world’s largest automaker and it does come with some caveats. It is possible they will still make some fossil fuel vehicles beyond that time frame for countries or rural areas that lack abundant electric charging infrastructure. Regardless, Volkswagen has committed $50 billion for future EV and autonomous vehicle development over just the next five years, with the launch of their first I.D. sub-brand electric model is due late in 2019. VW showed the I.D. Buzz Cargo, a concept for an electric utility van, at the recent 2019 LA Auto Show.