Half a year late, Germany has reached its 2020 target of one million electric vehicles on the roads, with 57,000 registered in July alone.
The statistics include plug-in hybrids and fuel cell cars that run on hydrogen.
“One million electric cars mean a million times less CO2 emissions in traffic, because 60% of the greenhouse gas emissions from traffic in Germany are due to cars alone,” said Environment Minister Svenja Schulze.
“Electric vehicles are the most efficient and most climate-friendly option in the passenger car sector because they bring the energy used directly onto the road. Those who switch to an electric car also save money. Charging electricity is cheaper in the long term than filling up at the petrol pump. “
Germany’s auto industry is increasingly relying on e-mobility, top seller Volkswagen wants to increase the share of electric vehicles in European sales to 60 percent by 2030. VW has earmarked $ 14 billion for battery cell orders from the Swedish manufacturer Northvolt alone.
However, it is unclear where the additional renewable electricity will come from, which will be needed if most of Europe’s cars run on electricity. Germany recently brought forward its net zero climate target by 2045, but left it to the next government to set new targets for renewable energies and remove obstacles to the expansion of green energy after the parliamentary elections at the end of September.
Transport Minister Andreas Scheuer said that in order to achieve the German climate targets for 2030, experts expect 14 million electric vehicles on the roads.
“We can only do that if the framework conditions are right,” said Scheuer.
“That is why we are primarily supporting the expansion of the charging infrastructure – both in the public and in the private sector – but also modes of transport with so far low market penetration such as commercial vehicles and buses.”
Economics and Energy Minister Peter Altmaier has promised to extend a bonus program for the purchase of electric vehicles until 2025.
