"I don't believe in e-cars, politically it's a grave mistake," Erich Sixt said during a conference call on Tuesday, adding critical raw materials, including cobalt, were already under the control of Asian companies.

"Range is still a catastrophe. You have to invest billions and billions," Sixt said, adding that some rental customers who try out electric cars often end up stranded.

"If I'm wrong we'll buy as many electric cars as our clients want us to," said in a call to discuss earnings.

Earlier this year Sixt sold its share in DriveNow, a car-sharing service which included a fleet of BMW electric cars.

(Reporting by Alexander Huebner; Writing by Christoph Steitz; Editing by Edward Taylor)