Minister of Transport: E-car success depends on one condition


E-cars are considered by German politics to be one of the most important building blocks for counteracting climate change. The switch from the combustion engine is a must. However, while more and more consumers are opting for an electric car, the basic requirements leave a lot to be desired. Transport Minister Volker Wissing has now announced what the government intends to do about it.

Wissing: Acceptance of e-cars depends on more charging stations

E-cars are to replace combustion engines, both in the EU and in Germany. But the necessary conditions must be created for this. The purchase price of a Stromer will increase significantly for customers in a few weeks when new funding guidelines take effect at the turn of the year. The high electricity prices are also putting new obstacles in the way of the success of e-cars. In addition to these problems, the charging situation must also be improved in order to continue to convince consumers of the e-car.

This view is behind the so-called “Charging Infrastructure Master Plan II”, which the federal cabinet decided and publicly presented to Federal Minister of Transport Volker Wissing (FDP). He made the urgency of the measures clear: “Electromobility will only be accepted if charging is as easy as refueling is today”according to Wissing (source: editorial network Germany/RND).

Lease an e-car and collect an environmental bonus

The continued success of e-cars stands and falls with the expansion of the charging infrastructure. But what is the government planning to do to improve the current status – 70,000 publicly accessible charging points compared to 1 million planned by 2030? The simple answer: get your hands on the money. 6.3 billion euros are planned, to implement the master plan, which includes 68 measures.

The rising price of electricity eats up the cost advantage of e-cars over time:

This includes the expansion of the charging infrastructure in residential areas, at gas stations and at companies – the latter, however, would probably only be publicly usable in exceptional cases. Also should more space available for the expansion of the charging network be made, especially at important traffic junctions such as petrol stations and rest stops or train stations.

Will the German power grid become an obstacle for electric cars?

According to Wissing, however, the real challenge is Integration of the massive expansion into the existing power grid. That must be up to the additional burden. To date, electric cars have accounted for around 0.5 percent of German electricity consumption. With the target of 15 million e-cars in 2030, this share would rise to 8 percent.

Felix Gräber, GIGA editor, expert on e-cars, mobility and consumer issues

So the grids have to be made fit, not only with regard to failover or the distribution and storage of renewable energies, but also for all the electric cars – that much is clear. At the same time, thanks to bidirectional charging, they can become part of the network themselves. In any case, if you look at how much money the government is currently spending on short-term measures such as the planned gas and electricity price brakes, Wissing’s 6.3 billion euros for the long-term expansion of the charging infrastructure seem more like nothing.



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