The climate target for the EU has been set: It has to reduce its CO2 emissions by 55 percent by 2030 and has to be climate-neutral by 2050. The automotive industry, and electromobility in particular, plays a crucial role in achieving this goal. In Germany alone, the number of registered electric vehicles is already over 10 percent, according to data from the Federal Motor Transport Authority in Flensburg. Germany owes this number to the automotive industry, which is launching more and more new models on the market. However, according to the German Association of the Automotive Industry, or VDA for short, this alone is not enough for the automotive industry to make its contribution to the climate target – the right framework conditions must be created by local authorities, the states and the climate summit. For this reason, the VDA has drawn up a 15-point plan to promote electromobility
The plan of VDA for accelerating the expansion of electromobility
Among other things, the VDA’s 15-point plan calls for financial aspects, such as the continuation of the subsidy program for the purchase of electric vehicles beyond 2022, the financial increase of the subsidy program of private chargers, and the introduction of a subsidy program for charging at the workplace and at retail. Especially the last two points are central to develop an adequate charging infrastructure. Prescribed quotas could also help catch up, both within Germany and across the EU. Because so far, 75% of the 200,000 electric charging points in Europe are concentrated in the Netherlands, France, Germany and non-EU member Great Britain.
VDA President Hildegard Müller told Handelsblatt: “The EU Commission must present an expansion plan and should make it mandatory make it mandatory.” The VDA president even goes one step further, saying that according to the number of electric cars sold, the EU would have to stipulate how many new charging points must be added: “Legally, such an expansion obligation should be possible, just as it is with climate targets and fleet limits.”
In addition, electromobility must not be limited to cars, which is why the switch to e-trucks and the expansion of charging points along the main transport axes must also be promoted. Another important aspect for electric vehicles is renewable energies, as electric vehicles are only really clean and climate-neutral if their electricity is generated from renewable sources, says Mueller. Since Germany and Europe are “already behind their own targets” in the expansion of wind, solar and hydroelectric power, further investment is needed now. For electromobility to become even more sustainable, however, it is not only the source of electricity that is important, but also the disposal of the batteries. After their use in the vehicle, these should be used to store energy. This must be supplemented by new take-back and recycling structures.
The VDA has not specified how much the implementation of the 15-point plan would cost. However, it is certain that a few hundred million euros is not enough. All information on the plan can be found at the VDA. However, no decision should be expected before the federal elections.
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