Germany’s e-car target of 10 million by 2030 unrealistic – study

The goal of the German government to get ten million electric cars on the road by 2030 is unrealistic, according to a study conducted by the consulting firm Deloitte. Under the current conditions, 6.35 million electric vehicles seem feasible at best by 2030, the firm says. Expansion of electromobility is needed to reach Germany’s climate targets. However, the automotive industry is not in a position to switch from the currently still profitable combustion engines to the as yet unprofitable electric drive technology, according to the study. The change to e-cars has been made more difficult by the pandemic, which has caused a general drop in demand, but the economic stimulus package that the government launched in June 2020 could lead to the registration of an additional 650,000 electric vehicles, Deloitte writes. This could be ensured in the first place by the adjustment of the EEG levy, an extended e-car subsidy and tax relief for the purchase of electrically powered company cars.

 In addition, the price per liter of petrol should increase by a total of 30 cents from 2021 to 2024, according to the study. The interplay of all measures and efforts could lead to a total of 8.5 million vehicles with alternative drive systems being registered by 2030, which is 2.2 million more than the study so far indicates. Only in the year 2032 does the firm expect a turning point, when fewer combustion engines are registered on the German market than cars with alternative engines. In its rollout of electric mobility, Germany is also struggling with a lack of electric vehicle charging stations in the cities, and with huge price differences at charging stations due to local electricity monopolies.