The average CO2 emissions from new registrations have fallen slightly over the course of the year so far. Between January and August 2023, every newly registered car emitted an average of 116.3 grams of greenhouse gas per kilometer, according to statistics from the Federal Motor Transport Authority (KBA). That was 2.4 percent or almost three grams less than in the same period last year. The decline was more significant in the individual month of August. At around 95.3 grams per kilometer, emissions here were almost 16 percent below the same month last year.
The background for the reduction in August is likely to be the sharp increase in newly registered electric cars. Numerous commercial owners used the last possible month to receive government funding when purchasing a battery-powered vehicle. Almost every third new vehicle last month was a purely electric car.
E-mobility was also a central topic at the IAA motor show, which ended in Munich on Sunday. For Germany, the industry is “a key to our prosperity,” said Economics Minister Robert Habeck (Greens). However, electric cars are still too expensive for many customers – a problem that Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) also addressed: The transport transition “won’t work if there aren’t offers that are affordable for a lot of citizens.”