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Unused charging stations for electric cars on a motorway

Photo: Teresa Kröger / Kirchner-Media / IMAGO

The number of newly registered electric cars has been decreasing in Germany for months. In March, only around 31,000 new cars with battery-electric drives hit the road, the Federal Motor Transport Authority said. That was almost 29 percent less than in March of the previous year. The share of battery cars in all new registrations in March was almost twelve percent. That was also less than the previous year (16 percent).

The federal government actually wants at least 15 million battery-powered cars to be on the road in Germany by 2030. According to the Federal Motor Transport Authority, almost 1.41 million purely battery-operated electric vehicles were registered in Germany as of January 1st. Including 2024, almost two million new vehicles would have to be added every year to reach the self-imposed mark - or 162,000 per month.

Experts are skeptical that the goal can be achieved. “Little will happen on the electrical market this year,” said transport expert Constantin Gall from the EY consultancy. "We expect sales to be at the same level as last year at best." Manufacturers would rethink their investments in electromobility and put more money into the further development of the combustion engine.

Probably no return to purchase bonuses

In September last year, the e-car subsidy for commercial users was abolished, and in December, surprisingly, for private users too. The Association of International Motor Vehicle Manufacturers said this had a lasting impact on customer trust in the market for battery-powered electric vehicles. “The current discussions about a possible end to the combustion engine phase-out planned by the EU for 2035 are also counterproductive.”

It is not clear at the moment that politicians are returning to purchase premiums. “We are now seeing, not only in Germany, but everywhere, including in Europe, that electric vehicles are not being bought to the extent expected,” said Federal Transport Minister Volker Wissing (FDP) in the ZDF morning magazine.

When it comes to the transport transition, one should not rely exclusively on electric cars, says Wissing. “We have a greater chance of achieving climate protection if we keep several technologies open,” said Wissing. He referred to drives such as hydrogen or synthetic fuels for combustion engines, so-called e-fuels.

Agora Verkehrswende, a non-profit organization for scientific policy advice, had already called on the government to act in February. In order to help the electric motor get back on track, the association named a whole range of measures: from new purchase bonuses to a more CO2-oriented taxation of vehicles, company cars and fuels, to minimum quotas for electric cars and a forced expansion of the charging infrastructure.

Agora experts, however, are critical of e-fuels for automobile traffic. "The reference to e-fuels is misleading because this expensive and energy-intensive technology is needed where there is no climate-neutral alternative in the foreseeable future, especially in shipping and air traffic as well as in parts of industry," they write. “For the time being, there will be no significant quantities of e-fuels at affordable prices for combustion cars.”

msk/dpa