Diesel drivers angry: ADAC President resigns because he tells the truth

Gerhard Hillebrand, transport president of the General German Automobile Club (ADAC), has resigned from his position. The ADAC has now confirmed consistent media reports. He was drawing the “consequence of statements made in interviews that led to considerable irritation among members as well as numerous complaints and terminations at the turn of the year.” Technical President Karsten Schulze will take over his position on an interim basis.

Hillebrand himself regretted that his behavior had “unsettled and angered members”. With this step he takes responsibility for the car club’s loss of reputation. “In the interests of the ADAC and its credibility,” it was the right decision to draw personal consequences.

Hillebrand caused a stir with comments about fuel prices

The background is Hillebrand’s statements that he made before Christmas Interview with the Neue Osnabrücker Zeitung (NOZ) had made. In the context of the EU’s decision to move away from combustion engines from 2035 and the postponement of a rising CO2 price for fuels by one year to the beginning of 2028, Hillebrand said:

“I can only warn against this. Europe must stick to ambitious CO2 reduction targets because we have to limit global warming. The ADAC is clearly committed to this. Pretending that climate change doesn’t exist would be a fatal mistake. (…) The ADAC considers CO2 pricing to be the right instrument to achieve climate protection targets. People need the incentive to switch to climate-friendly alternatives to diesel and petrol engines.”

The ADAC then recorded a wave of resignations in January. The Bild newspaper reports of 60,000 resignations. Hillebrand also received a lot of criticism internally. A spokeswoman told Bild: “Whether it’s a petrol, diesel or electric car: we are campaigning against any further burden without social compensation. Our mission is: ‘Affordable mobility for everyone’.”

Hillebrand speaks the truth – and therefore loses his job

It is certainly doubtful whether drivers in Germany took the statements as negatively as the ADAC suggests. Finally, the automobile club also recorded 100,000 new registrations in January and thus grew by 40,000 net members.

Furthermore, the 60-year-old simply spoke the truth. The European Union and its member states regularly abandon their climate targets in the transport sector. If we are serious about decarbonization by 2050, there must be a comprehensive switch to electrified drives, both in private and public transport. The ban on registration of new combustion engines from 2035 was a central step on this path. Abolishing it is a fatal mistake in terms of climate policy. Especially since millions of existing diesel and gasoline engines are still on European roads and will continue to cause climate-damaging emissions.

The pricing of CO2 emissions is a second central factor in European climate policy. It has been used across sectors in industry for a long time. The fact that fuels are also used in transport is, firstly, only logical and, secondly, urgently necessary. Because Hillebrand is right when he says that climate-friendly mobility must also be financially attractive. In other words, driving a combustion engine has to become more expensive. At the same time, electromobility must become cheaper. And that quickly and permanently.

Hillebrand’s departure is a revelation for the ADAC

Scientists everywhere agree that electric cars are the future of automobility. For reasons of cost and efficiency alone, e-fuels are simply smokescreens ignited by lobbyists and industry for the general public, even though they have a right to exist in individual applications. Green hydrogen, on the other hand, is wasted in cars. It is needed more urgently in the industry. The internal combustion engine is therefore a discontinued model.

And time is of the essence: If we continue to destroy our environment at the current rate, at some point there will no longer be an environment in which the 22 million drivers, whose advocate the ADAC sees itself as, can live. It is significant that a high-ranking member of the ADAC leadership is now losing his job because he does not ignore the “uncomfortable truth” of climate change that Al Gore invoked 20 years ago out of economic policy interests, as politicians and industry largely do.

At the same time, it is a sad revelation for the association. Because he is exposing himself for representing the interests of combustion engine drivers instead of really working for the well-being of all motorists. “Affordable mobility for all” remains nothing more than an empty PR phrase.