IAA Mobility: Federal Chancellor Friedrich Merz visits MAHLE

Federal Chancellor Friedrich Merz visited automotive supplier MAHLE on Tuesday as part of his opening tour at IAA Mobility in Munich. CEO Arnd Franz presented a highly efficient range extender system for battery electric vehicles. It consists of a particularly compact high-voltage generator that operates without rare earth elements, and a small efficient combustion engine. The system extends the performance of an electric vehicle''s high-voltage battery and enables ranges of up to 1,350 kilometers with just one battery charge. With regard to CO2 regulation in Europe, Franz emphasized that the path to technological diversity must also be paved in Europe. “We need freedom for ideas, freedom for competition between technologies”, he said. Chancellor Merz expressed his enthusiasm for the range extender technology. He said he wanted to work to ensure that technologies developed by German companies are put on the road in Europe. Politicians set the goal: climate neutrality. The path to achieving this goal must be determined by engineers, not politicians, Merz said.

In addition to products for purely battery electric vehicles, MAHLE is strategically focusing on advanced range extenders to eliminate customers'' range anxiety and facilitate the transition to e-mobility. To reduce greenhouse gases in road transport more quickly, the company advocates that Europe should also politically enable range extenders and hybrid vehicles as well as renewable fuels.