“Schulz pushes for e-car quota”
Social Democratic (SPD) chancellor candidate Martin Schulz calls for a binding European e-mobility quota as a consequence of the diesel scandal, reports Peter Fahrenholz for Süddeutsche Zeitung (SZ). “With a binding European e-mobility quota we will significantly increase the share of e-vehicles,” writes Schulz in a 5-point plan on the future of Germany’s automobile industry. The auto industry suffered a crisis of trust and faced the “biggest structural change in its history”. Schulz’s proposals:
- The measures agreed at the diesel summit needed to be implemented, and hardware updates should be made available to customers that could not afford a new car and thus were unable to use the buyer’s bonuses offered.
- Government oversight had to be improved, legal certainty strengthened, including the possibility of class-action lawsuits.
- Investments, innovations and framework conditions for sustainable mobility: This included ambitious CO₂ limits at EU level from 2020, a binding European e-mobility quota, and other measures.
- Industry policy for the future of mobility: Germany should invest in its own battery and battery cell production, the e-car charging infrastructure needed to be expanded faster, and research supported.
- Developing new integrated transport concepts.
Driving bans for diesel cars had to be avoided, writes Schulz. He calls for a second diesel summit in autumn to debate the next steps.
Read the article in German here, find the plan in German here, and a Deutsche Welle article on the topic in English here.
For background, read the CLEW article German carmakers pledge diesel software updates and buyer’s bonus and the factsheet The debate over an end to combustion engines in Germany.