Benz CTO "Even if electric cars don't increase as quickly as expected, the direction towards electric cars is clear"

【Munich (Germany)=Kim Hak-jae, reporter】Even if the proportion of electric vehicles worldwide does not increase as quickly as expected, the head of technology at Mercedes-Benz made it clear that "although progress is slow, we are moving towards an electric vehicle-centric direction," emphasizing the continuous expansion of investment and strengthening of development for electric vehicles.
While the expansion of the proportion of electric vehicles is not increasing as previously forecasted, Benz aims to respond appropriately to the transition from internal combustion engine vehicles to the era of electric vehicles, flexibly adapting to the proportion of internal combustion engine vehicles and electric vehicles based on its strength in a variety of models.
Markus Schäfer, Chief Technology Officer (CTO) of Mercedes-Benz, said in an interview with Financial News at the Open Space event held in downtown Munich, Germany on the 7th (local time), "Many analysts predicted a slowdown in the increase of electric vehicles compared to a few years ago, but the direction towards electric vehicles is clear," he said.
While the proportion of electric vehicles in China is rapidly increasing, the proportion in the United States is progressing slowly, raising concerns about the overall sluggish transition to electric vehicles, CTO Schäfer emphasized, "We must reduce carbon, so this direction (expanding the proportion of electric vehicles) is correct."
CTO Schäfer explained, "Benz has continuously strengthened its investment and has never reduced its investment in EVs (electric vehicles)," adding that "we are developing various modules for the AMG line and vans and participating in cell development, responding flexibly to various situations."
Emphasizing that there is also an intermediate stage between internal combustion engine vehicles and EVs, CTO Schäfer said, "Benz's basic philosophy is to allow customers to choose what they want, whether it's an internal combustion engine or an electric vehicle, everything will be diversified with MBOS (Mercedes-Benz Operating System)."
Regarding the abandonment of the identity of Benz's C, E, and S classes, CTO Schäfer firmly stated, "There is no compromise," and conveyed the plan to apply both internal combustion engine and electric vehicle platforms to each class while simultaneously integrating and implementing individual strategies with MBOS.
Regarding the recent battery supply contract with LG Energy Solution worth about 15 trillion won, CTO Schäfer said, "We are pleased to expand cooperation with LG Energy Solution," adding, "We have been cooperating with LG Energy Solution for a long time and are further expanding our cooperation with them."
On the other hand, CTO Schäfer dismissed the recent speculation about cooperation between Benz and BMW regarding the introduction of BMW engines, saying, "There is no cooperation on four-cylinder engines," and added, "Whether it's four-cylinder, six-cylinder, eight-cylinder, or twelve-cylinder, we plan to proceed with what we have developed." hjkim01@fnnews.com Kim Hak-jae, reporter