Electromobility: VW works council head wants support

VW Works Council Chairwoman Daniela Cavallo is calling on the German government to provide more support for the ramp-up of electromobility. "Politicians must also support this, not just set targets that are right," said Cavallo at the dpa editorial conference in Berlin on Monday. Otherwise, the goal of having 15 million electric cars on the road in Germany by 2030 would be almost impossible to achieve. "This is a huge challenge and requires the plan to be gradually developed further." However, she does not see this happening at the moment.

The short-term end of the e-car subsidy last year does not help here, nor do discussions about technological openness. This only creates new uncertainty, criticized Cavallo, adding that companies need planning security in order to be able to make the switch to electric. She therefore believes it would be wrong to move away from the planned phase-out of combustion engines in 2035. "That would be fatal. I take a critical view of the fact that there are now discussions that the plan should perhaps be watered down."

With regard to her own brand, Cavallo admitted that an affordable entry-level electric model is still lacking. "In my view, we absolutely need a vehicle under 20,000 euros," she said. "Volkswagen is a company that should offer broad mobility. And in this respect, we lack this in our portfolio and it is absolutely necessary." However, it will be "a few more years" before such a vehicle arrives, said the Works Council boss. VW has announced an e-model for under 25,000 for 2026. The brand has not yet given a date for a model under 20,000 euros, which is also being worked on.

Cavallo also expressed her dissatisfaction with the continuing low proportion of women in senior management. "We have to work on that," said Cavallo, who is herself the first woman to head the Group Works Council. "But there is a long way to go." Currently, IT Director Hauke Stars is the only woman on the Group Management Board. It will probably be a long time before there could even be a female CEO, Cavallo admitted. "I don't know if I'll live to see it."