May 2024
I hope all the electric vehicle enthusiasts aren’t crying too many tears into their triple-foam, half-caff lattes or on their avocado toast, but Mercedes-Benz recently announced at their annual shareholder’s meeting that their plan to manufacture only electric vehicles after 2030 has been put on hold. CEO Ola Källenius announced that “There will be both in the years: electric cars and cars with ultra-modern electrified combustion engines, if the demand is there, well into the 2030s.” How many out there are shocked that when it comes to private businesses, profits will always trump the environmental ideology of extremist governments? By keeping internal combustion engine vehicles a part of their vehicle fleet, Källenius points out that the company will be able to respond to the market demands, whichever way they swing, just as it should be in a free-market.
You don’t need a degree in economics to understand that no private business will not manufacture a product, or provide a service, if they don’t think they can make a profit from it. While I have no intention of buying a fully electric vehicle, I have no problem with E/Vs, which do have a place in the auto market. However, it should be up to the consumer whether they want an E/V, or a gas-powered vehicle, not activist governments who willingly ignore the environmental and practical shortcomings of E/Vs.
Mercedes isn’t the only auto manufacturer re-thinking their commitment to an exclusive E/V fleet. Ford Motor Company announced a net loss of $2.32 billion in E/V sales in the first quarter of 2024, while reporting a profit amongst sales of its gas-powered vehicles. Apparently, the car-buying public has spoken. Let’s see if activist governments are listening.
Sources: Mercedes Vows to Keep Making Gas-Powered Engines as EV Transition Slows | The Epoch Times.
