Audi had to pause production of the e-tron full-electric car because of a shortage of batteries. Does this problem concern you, since you will soon launch your first high-volume car, the Polestar 2?
Isn't the root cause of this battery shortage a question of where you put your money? Investments have to be made. We always talk about the big numbers needed to create battery [production] lines. And while these look like big numbers, they are small in comparison with the money that is still being spent to keep today's technology on the road and what is being invested into next-generation gasoline or diesel drivetrains.
Do you not believe that battery shortages are to blame for slow sales of the Mercedes-Benz EQC and the near collapse of sales of Smart since it became a full-electric-only brand?
We are not at a point where it's impossible to buy an electric car. There are a number of models out there. Also, the current battery shortage is certainly not what will stop the move to electrification. For the Polestar 2, we already have the battery volumes sourced.
In 2019, the Tesla Model 3 became Europe's No. 1 EV, outselling its closest competitor, the Renault Zoe, by more than 2-to-1. Is that encouraging since the Polestar 2 will be a direct competitor to the Model 3?
That is certainly encouraging for us. But going back to my first point, it should also be very alarming to the automakers that still, despite lots of talk, do not embrace electric mobility wholeheartedly and are not taking the required steps. The success of a company that is fully dedicated to electric mobility is something other automakers should take notice of because it is a very good example of the economic success that is possible from betting on the right technology.
Could you explain why you also believe the media could do more to accelerate the shift to emissions-free driving?
The media often portrays something like Volkswagen Group's shift toward electrification as a big gamble. ... What if it was portrayed as a risk that the company isn't doing more? That shift of perspective is what I am so desperately waiting for and now really asking for.
How long have you been hearing that EVs will never succeed?
Since the very first day that the Tesla Roadster was out at the VW r&d center when I was still working there. Engineers told me, "Oh no, that will never work." Now, every week somebody tells me that company [Tesla] will be dead soon. That has been going on for years.
This year, automakers in Europe need to reduce their average fleet CO2 to 95 g/km. Hasn't this helped brands such as Polestar?
Just reducing CO2 is the wrong focus. ... The question is not about reducing CO2, it's about removing it. ... How do we remove it from the supply chain? Why don't we have more green energy available? What are we doing about reducing plastic waste and using more recycled materials in cars?
What are the dream results you would like to see from speaking out about this topic?
Everybody shifting the money they would have spent on developing next-generation combustion engines into, for example, building the necessary battery capacities. Politicians creating legislation that makes it possible for an adequate charging infrastructure to be up and running before the end of this year. Consumers deciding to try an electric car because once they drive an EV, they will not switch back. There's no excuse anymore to delay this. Go for it — 2020 is the year.
