There is still this goal: 15 million electric cars should be driving on Germany’s roads in 2030. Then the majority of vehicles would still be on the road with diesel or petrol engines (currently there are 48 million), but at least a big step towards climate-friendly mobility would be taken. Eight years, that’s a lot of time, you might think. And after all, the state has already distributed several billion euros in funding to electric car drivers. At some point it has to fly by itself, the beautiful new eco-mobility.
But a look at the numbers shows that it would take a rocket boost to even get close to 15 million. With annual new registrations of 2.6 million vehicles, almost every new car would soon have to be fully electric. The assumption that prices for e-cars will soon fall could be overturned by the rise in raw material prices. The incentive to switch quickly to electric drive is also being torpedoed by tax cuts on fuel such as the tank discount or the diesel privilege, which continues to apply. The latter alone means that the state loses around eight billion euros every year.
It is wrong to drastically reduce subsidies for electric vehicles now of all times. Because the necessary impetus for e-mobility is far from being achieved. And both the car manufacturers and the ruling parties have their share in this. Those who suffer are the people who would like to switch to an electric car, but either cannot afford it without government subsidies or who still lack the necessary charging infrastructure. What is also missing: electric models that you don’t have to wait several months or even more than a year for.
Abolishing the subsidies for plug-in hybrids was long overdue
The reform of the e-car premiums makes sense at one point or another. Abolishing the subsidies for plug-in hybrids was long overdue. If nobody checks whether the drivers drive their semi-electric cars mainly in electricity mode, there is absolutely no point in promoting these cars. It is all the more incomprehensible that plug-in hybrids continue to enjoy tax advantages for company cars – of all places where many people are already on the road with a fuel card and have no financial incentive to drive electrically as often as possible.
The plan to only subsidize e-cars under 45,000 euros in the medium term is also correct. It has never been explained why buyers of an electric Mercedes E-Class or an electric SUV from BMW or Audi also get a few thousand euros from the state. But it would be important, especially with the cheaper cars, to grant the subsidy at the current level for longer. The range of electric small and medium-sized cars is still manageable because most manufacturers have only installed battery drives in more expensive models. The cheaper electric models, which are also suitable for a family, usually have insanely long delivery times, such as the VW ID 3 or the Skoda Enyaq, for which you have to wait at least a year.
The greatest crux lies in the availability. The traffic light coalition has aggravated the situation for potential buyers who want to buy an e-car with long waiting times by capping the subsidy pot. Furthermore, the state subsidy should only be paid out when the car is registered. Anyone who orders an electric vehicle does not know how high the premium will be in the end. With delivery times of more than a year, it can even happen that the desired car is completely out of the subsidy. In these economically uncertain times, when many people are already hesitant about investing in an expensive purchase, this clause is a further damper on the rapid ramp-up of electromobility. It would be easily feasible to give the buyer the promise of the premium when ordering – it could then only be paid out after approval.
But not only politicians, but also the car manufacturers themselves must contribute their part to the growth of e-mobility, for example by continuing to grant or even increasing their share of the premium. After all, the corporations are currently making high profits despite all the crises.