BMW suggests that EVs get their own lanes on freeways

A higher-up at BMW has suggested that electric vehicles should get their own lanes of freeways.

Milan Nedeljkovic, head of BMW production in Germany, made the suggestion in an article published in a German newspaper.

He said this would help electric cars outperform their petrol equivalents.

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The future for highways, as seen by BMW

In the article, published in the Münchner Merkur, Nedeljkovic said: “If electric cars constantly passed you in the crowd, many would certainly think about crossing.”

And given how fast things get on the Autobahn, this is an amusing scenario.

His suggestion comes as the European Union is planning to enact a ban on internal combustion engines.

Nedeljkovic believes his idea would work as an alternative plan, arguing that government incentives are not enough in the long run.

Germany has frequently been criticized as a location for production, but BMW is increasing production there.

Nedeljkovic said: “This year we will produce more than a million cars in Germany.”

This is up from 936,000 produced in 2023 at the factories in Dingolfing, Munich, Regensburg, and Leipzig.

BMW made 729,000 in China and 411,000 in the US, amounting to 2.66 million cars overall.

It was at one of their American sites that BMW trialed some humanoid robots.

The state of the car industry in Germany

German plants have seen $5.5 billion in investments over the last few years.

Despite this, BMW isn’t in a position to rest on its laurels – bureaucracy, expensive energy, and high location costs are making things tougher in Germany.

He argued that the industry needed a solid road network, dependable rail service, and more digital infrastructure.

Another BMW board member said: “Currently, however, we are experiencing an exodus of industrial firms, especially in the medium-sized sector and among suppliers. We need the exact opposite.

“Namely the establishment of new technologies.”

Despite electric cars reportedly being a ‘slow seller’ in Germany, BMW is expecting their numbers to grow.

Nedeljkovic said: “We expect further significant growth in e-mobility. In our Bavarian plants, every third car that rolls off the production line this year will be fully electric.

“This shows that customer interest in our e-models remains high.”