Wednesday October 13, 2021
“Radical change” through e-cars
40 German regions depend on the combustion engine
The EU has set itself the goal of stopping combustion engines on Europe’s roads by 2035. For some regions in Germany this means profound changes – in some more than 40 percent of employees work in the automotive industry. A study formulates clear tasks for politics.
Economic experts have identified 40 districts and urban districts that are particularly dependent on the classic combustion engine. In the future, they will be faced with “major transformation tasks” and will also need political support for this, as the Institut der deutschen Wirtschaft (IW) announced. the study was created on behalf of the Federal Ministry of Economics. The 40 regions affected include Schweinfurt, Salzgitter, Bamberg and the Saarpfalz district.
In Germany there are 401 districts and urban districts, the IW made 118 of them, which are particularly influenced by the automotive industry. They are spread across twelve federal states. The regions of Wolfsburg, Ingolstadt and the district of Dingolfing-Landau are particularly important – there are employees in the automotive industry of well over 40 percent of total employment.
Decarbonisation and digital change “will change the automotive industry significantly in the coming years,” explained the IW. The EU’s goal of no longer allowing combustion engines on Europe’s roads from 2035 generally means a “radical change” for the industry in Germany. There are 40 regions that are particularly dependent on conventional propulsion. For them, the combustion engine is “to this day above all an engine for growth and prosperity”.
Therefore, “politics must now become active,” demanded the IW. The employees concerned would have to be trained and further trained, and the location factors would have to be improved in order to support the local companies. Joint research and mutual aid between the 40 regions could also help, advises the IW.