At the Blick Café, the aperitif with the participation of automotive industry representatives was the surprise guest: Federal Council candidate and Auto Switzerland President Albert Rösti (55).
The Bernese showed no fear of contact and patiently answered questions: “No, I haven’t been selected yet.” It must first splash on the SVP ticket on November 18. “But if I don’t become a Member of the Bundestag, I’d be happy to stay as President of Auto Switzerland. I can always drive nice cars there.”
we need more roads
Then Albert Rösti got serious: “Prohibitions are the wrong way to achieve climate neutrality.” Therefore, it refers to the combustion engine ban for the year 2035, which was decided by the EU Parliament. And his call for more roads was naturally well received by the auto-loving public. “It is not possible for us to be condemned to traffic jams on our roads for hours every day. By 2040 we will have almost ten million inhabitants. And they all want to be mobile,” he says.
Then, the talk moderated by Blick TV presenter Reto Scherrer (46) was about the future of the automobile. Andreas Herrmann, Head of the Mobility Institute at HSG, Tobias Keel, New Business Head of electricity supplier EKZ, and Andreas Burgener, Director of the Auto Schweiz importers association, discussed how we will drive cars in the future. All three agree: it will go in the direction of e-mobility.
Enough electricity for e-mobility
HSG professor Andreas Herrmann predicts that within a decade we will no longer have private individual transport in some major European cities. Tobias Keel promises we’ll have enough power for e-mobility this winter. Moderator Scherrer, “And in 2035, when the combustion engine ban comes and everything is electric?” he asks. “Then the electricity consumption of e-mobility should account for about ten percent of electricity consumption,” Keel estimates. “And we can handle this.”
The mood of this pre-opening evening was positive at Blick Café, which is open to all fair visitors until Sunday evening in Hall 2. The industry is pleased that after the cancellation of the Geneva Motor Show (GIMS) for 2022 and 2023, attractive new cars can finally be seen again at a trade show.