Transport: Wissing wants to fully rely on e-mobility for cars

traffic
Wissing wants to fully rely on e-mobility for cars

Transport Minister Volker Wissing wants to fully rely on electromobility for cars – and has sparked a broad debate.

The FDP politician told the Tagesspiegel Background specialist service: “We have to use the various energy sources where they are most efficient. In cars, that’s the electric drive. ” Wissing is taking a different course than his predecessor Andreas Scheuer (CSU), who also relied on the use of so-called synthetic fuels (e-fuels). The Union accused Wissing of breaking his word because something was different in the FDP’s election manifesto.

The decision in favor of e-mobility has long been made

Wissing said that e-fuels will be needed primarily for air traffic. “In the foreseeable future, however, we won’t have enough e-fuels to run the cars with combustion engines that are now approved.” The minister went on to say: “If you look at the EU regulation, you can see that the decision in favor of e-mobility has long been made.” If the switch is accelerated, Germany could also achieve the goal of at least 15 million fully electric cars by 2030, which the new federal government is aiming for.

Wissing assured that the federal government will ensure that charging with renewable electricity remains affordable. Therefore, he can only advise switching to CO2-neutral drives. The use of fossil fuels will become more expensive in the future.

The transport policy spokesman for the Union parliamentary group, Thomas Bareiß (CDU), criticized: “Federal Minister Wissing and the FDP are saying goodbye to alternative fuels and are changing course.” This is a clear break in the word. “There is not much left of the much-praised technology openness in the field of mobility. That harms Germany as an automotive location, and that harms climate protection, because the existing fleet also needs a CO2-friendly future, otherwise the high climate target cannot be achieved. ” Group vice-chairman Ulrich Lange (CSU) said: “The general decision of the traffic light for the electric car can hurt millions of car owners.”

Criticism from the Association of the Automotive Industry

In the election manifesto of the FDP it was said: “Climate-friendly synthetic fuels are already available today as an alternative for all types of transport that can be used in conventional combustion engines without technical retrofitting.”

Criticism of Wissing’s statements also came from the Association of the Automotive Industry (VDA). VDA President Hildegard Müller told the newspapers of the Funke Mediengruppe: “Europe and Germany must not exclude any technology that is needed worldwide to achieve the climate targets in road traffic.” Wissing had to keep what he and his party had promised in the election campaign. «Of course we also need e-fuels from renewable energies for road traffic. Without e-fuels, the vehicles that are already in operation cannot make any contribution to climate protection. “

The focus is on electromobility, the success of which stands and falls with the expansion of the charging infrastructure, according to Müller. In Germany there would still be around 30 million passenger cars with gasoline or diesel engines. “You have to be supplied with synthetic fuels from renewable energy sources in order to be climate-neutral.”

The head of the BDEW energy association, Kerstin Andreae, said with a view to Wissing: “The clear commitment to electromobility and the goal of having 15 million fully electric cars on the roads by 2030 is an important signal for the energy industry and all charging station operators.” From the point of view of the charging station operators, what is needed above all is a stable investment framework, support with the availability of space and accelerated approval procedures.

The head of transport policy at the BUND environmental association, Jens Hilgenberg, considers a rejection of e-fuels in cars to be logical. “In terms of energy efficiency, price and availability, synthetic fuels are not an option for cars now or in the future.”

In contrast, the ADAC considers e-fuels to be elementary in order to achieve climate protection goals. Technology President Karsten Schulze told the German Press Agency that despite an ambitious ramp-up in electromobility, there would still be at least 30 million existing cars with diesel or gasoline engines in Germany in 2030. Worldwide there are 1.4 billion vehicles. “Without e-fuels, they will not be used in a CO2-reduced manner and can be operated in a climate-neutral manner in the future.” Therefore, an admixture is useful and important for the existing population.

dpa