Thanks to the efforts of companies like Tesla, the electric vehicle transition is so undeniable today that even Exxon Mobil is starting to admit that EVs are the future.
This became quite evident when Exxon Mobil CEO Darren Woods participated in an interview. When asked by CNBC’s David Faber about how Exxon would continue its business in a world where cars are electric, the CEO noted that the oil giant has actually run the numbers.
And based on Exxon’s own estimates, Woods noted that every passenger car sold in the world will likely be electric by around 2040.
“With respect to electric vehicles, the first thing we did was to ask ‘what’s the relevance?’ ‘How material is it to our business?’ And we did some work very early on and said ‘Let’s just make the assumption that people begin to shift and that ultimately, every car in the world sold is electric,’ and ultimately, I think we got to about 2040 that every vehicle in the world is electric,” Woods said.
As for Exxon’s business in a world whose transportation sector no longer relies on fossil fuels, Woods noted the oil giant’s chemicals business would be key to keeping the company profitable. The plastics that Exxon produces, for example, could be used in electric vehicle production, according to the CEO.
Woods noted that Exxon’s calculations suggest that oil demand in 2040 would be equivalent to what the global market needed back in 2013 or 2014. And at that point, Woods noted that Exxon Mobil would probably still be profitable.
Watch the Exxon Mobil CEO’s interview in the video below.
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