Aston Martin CCO believes evs are not the future, hydrogen and biofuels might be.
[AutoEvolution] Marek Reichman is Aston Martin’s Chief Creative Officer (CCO). Having this capacity means he’s involved in what Aston Martin could bring to the table in the all-electric era. The British carmaker has yet to offer a pure, full-grown EV to its customers, and it looks like it might be a while until this happens. Here’s why.With people discovering the many benefits of EVs and them becoming ever so popular, it’s a tiny bit surprising to see a luxury automaker executive that’s not excited about abandoning the internal combustion engine.
Drivers are starting to enjoy the instant torque, the silence, and the ease their cars operate with. Also, just charging them at home will save you a lot of money.
But Marek Reichman says EVs are nothing but a necessary craze. He sees all-electric cars as an obligatory step forward to something even better than this. According to an interview quoted by Motorious on MSN, the executive believes hydrogen and biofuels are the future.
That’s not all. The man also believes that the search for a new way of powering cars without harmful emissions will spark a Golden Age of automotive design that’ll change how we view passenger vehicles and trucks.
He also underlines that charging an EV takes too much right now. Reichman considers everything over five minutes to be too long.
Still, you and I cannot disagree with Aston Martin’s CCO. He’s got a point and he’s not alone in thinking like this.
Plus, let’s not forget he’s been with the British marque since 2005. Mazda Europe said last year that forcing carmakers to switch entirely to EVs might translate into expensive cars, while also destroying the secondhand market in developed nations.
The immediate effect would be pollution moving from countries in the West to those in the East.
Aston Martin’s CCO is not wrong
Porsche shares the same vision, even though they’re working on bringing a better Taycan and an all-electric Macan soon. The Stuttgart-based automaker is also trying to make eFuels a reality.
Mercedes-Benz, even though is pushing to create better battery-electric cars and vans, is already exploring hydrogen as a better alternative to ICE vehicles.
The German carmaker is already involved in a lot of deals that bring this type of fuel to Germany mainly for its trucks, and BMW is following suit as well with its iX5. These cars are known as fuel-cell vehicles (FCEVs). Toyota already has one that reached its second generation – the Mirai.
Last year, Aston Martin’s Chief Executive Officer (CEO) told us the company is seriously preparing to have EVs account for half of its total sales until the end of the decade. It’s a pretty way of saying “we don’t have that many cars in our portfolio, so we’re just going to electrify some of them hoping our customers won’t ditch us.”
While admirable, this doesn’t fit very well with UK’s agenda to ban the sale of new internal combustion engine cars and vans starting on the 1st of January 2030.
The automaker will have to comply or find other markets that still allow for new sales of V8 and V12-powered vehicles from 2030. Let’s also not forget that from 2035, all UK cars will have to be zero-emission vehicles.
With the 2023 V12 Vantage coming soon as a swan song for the majestic 12-cylinder engine, it’s clear Aston Martin is getting ready to abide by the upcoming rules. But we still have to wait and see which of its cars are going to be all-electric.
Or will the luxury automaker switch to something else before 2030 comes? We’ll have to wait for a clear answer. Speculation won’t help much.
Ready or not, here it comes
It’s a brave new world we’ll have to face very soon, but it might not bode very well with people that aren’t ready to splurge over $60,000 or $70,000 on a new car. Will we really own nothing, and be happy?
Plus, we have to consider that not every country has a great auto industry like the U.S., Germany, China, India, France, or the UK. Different economic climates mean different solutions.
The world won’t just switch over to EVs because they’re cool in the G20 member countries, or because a company like Tesla will bring a 2+2 roadster that reaches 62 mph (100 kph) in under two seconds.
But, at the end of the day, legacy carmakers like Aston Martin, Bentley, Rolls-Royce, and even Lamborghini have the best shot at bringing some form of a new powertrain to the table. Look at them like you’re watching the testing of various technologies in F1. Thanks for staying up to date with Hydrogen Central.
The discoveries are expensive at first, but give it enough time and you’ll find some similar tech on cars. The expanded use of carbon fiber in the auto industry is one example, better aerodynamics is another. These famous car brands can impress us all while sharing their discoveries with the group their part of.
The future sure sounds exciting, if we’ll manage to get over the chip and supply chain crises.
READ the latest news shaping the hydrogen market at Hydrogen Central
Aston Martin’s CCO Believes EVs Are Not the Future, He Might Be Right, source