Profesoruツ Posted January 2, 2024 Posted January 2, 2024 Slick ads like to portray the future of transportation as clean and quiet. They show cars that gently purr, without emitting harmful emissions, along almost empty roads through unspoiled nature, with their occupants on their way to work or to shop in clean cities without traffic jams. The reality, of course, is somewhat different, as traffic jams, noise and the stench of exhaust fumes are, in fact, ubiquitous in Germany. According to Germany's Federal Motor Transport Authority (KBA), the market share of electric cars in the country has grown, but it is still comparatively small. Ten years ago, they accounted for 0.02% of the total number of cars on the road; today that figure is at 2.08%. This means that every 50th car is a purely electrically powered vehicle. You may welcome that trend or not. You may regret that almost 98% of cars are still powered by combustion engines. You may even celebrate every new electric vehicle that rolls off the assembly line, or be a proponent of driving a "real" car. Wherever you stand on the issue, the trend towards electromobility is expected to continue. The question is whether Germany's automobile industry, one of the key pillars of the economy, is prepared for the future. Germany lagging behind others Germany is currently not at the forefront of e-mobility. "By continuing to reduce the scrappage scheme bonuses, Economy Minister Robert Habeck has put the brake on electric cars in Germany," says Ferdinand Dudenhöffer, formerly professor of Automotive Economics at the University of Duisburg-Essen and now an independent consultant. He estimates that the market share of electric cars in Germany will decline next year. Globally, he says, the outlook is equally bleak. "Only China will continue at full speed, and that will pay off twice and three times over for the Chinese car industry." Due to the German Constitutional Court's recent ruling forcing the ruling coalition to make savings, the government had to discontinue the electric vehicle subsidy earlier than planned. As of December 18, it was no longer possible to apply for such subsidies for the purchase of an electric vehicle. Stefan Bratzel, head of the Center of Automotive Management in Bergisch Gladbach near Cologne, is also pessimistic. In his view, "the race for electromobility in Germany, Europe and China is already over." Ramping up the market rapidly is key, he says. However, he cautions that the targets "set by the German government are too ambitious. They will not be achieved." According to the government's assessment, around 15 million electric vehicles should be on the road in Germany by 2030. https://www.dw.com/en/german-auto-industry-will-2024-mark-a-turning-point/a-67718435
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