Environment Minister Carsten Schneider is putting a lot of emphasis on the new funding for electric cars. But she cannot achieve what he hopes for.
W According to Federal Environment Minister Carsten Schneider from the SPD, The new funding for electric cars will bring a lot – for the climate, for the broken car industry, for consumers. Will it work, will everyone really benefit? Hardly.
With the end of the previous funding, the environmental bonusStromer sales had collapsed. The German industry is still struggling with electromobility, companies are giving up their ambitions to change production and are indulging in the joy of building combustion engines. It’s good that the federal government is making electric cars more attractive.
However, the federal government is letting the chance to really advance climate, industrial and social policy equally pass by. If it seriously wanted to protect the climate, it would have to immediately throw plug-in hybrids out of its range, which emit much more CO22 eject than on paper. Or it would have to demand higher taxes for climate-damaging combustion engines.
If the support program were really social, there would be truly inexpensive leasing offers for people with low incomes, based on the French model. The fact that medium-sized households with an annual salary of up to 80,000 euros are also allowed to collect the bonus is not primarily social – but hopefully it will at least drive up e-car sales.
New premium does not keep its promises
So is the federal government primarily helping industry? The German industry association VDA is pleased about the funding for plug-in hybrids – a straw for combustion engine fans. As long as the bonus is also paid out for international brands and vehicles with range extenders – a technology dominated by China – it cannot be said that local car manufacturers in particular will benefit.
The new e-car subsidy is better than the old one and is definitely a driver of e-car sales. But she doesn’t keep her promise – to help the climate, the industry and consumers alike.
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