Luxury carmaker Mercedes-Benz has urged the government “not to rush with the all-electric vehicles push” and thus “foreclose better technological options” for future generations as the rest of the world is racing to run on hydrogen and not electricity.

The car manufacturer also called for adopting a less ambitious plan of promoting e-cars arguing that a nationwide electrification of the auto industry is just not commercially and technologically viable.

Mercedes-Benz India Managing Director and Chief Executive Roland Folger said, “By 2040, the whole world will be driving home hydrogen cars. To me the whole plan to go electric nationwide looks like a rushed with idea.” More importantly, he added, with such a rush we are foreclosing options for better technologies for the future generations.

The auto industry in the country was taken by surprise after the Central government announced last year that the entire auto industry would go electric by the turn of 2030.

Pointing out that the time frame announced to go all electric is very short, given the very long-term nature of the auto industry, he said this would mean that all auto companies stop investing in or developing any more products.

As a way out, Folger suggested “plug-in hybrids” as the best option for the country despite such vehicles being costlier than e-cars.

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