Germany wants to achieve the 2030 climate target with e-cars – but there are problems

Created: 01/11/2023 13:42

By: Yannick Hanke

The ambitions to achieve the 2030 climate target are high.

And also realistic?

Germany wants to get closer to the project with e-cars.

But there are stumbling blocks.

Berlin – At the beginning of the year, many people set themselves goals that keep their own motivation high.

Goals that are sometimes more realistic and sometimes less tangible.

Good will counts – so to speak.

This cannot be said in relation to the 2030 climate target.

Because time is pressing, there is almost no alternative to achieving it.

A project that Germany wants to achieve, among other things, with the increased use of electric cars, which Volkswagen (VW) also relies on.

But there are also hurdles in relation to the increased use of electric cars in order to achieve the 2023 climate target.

The 2022 climate target has already been missed.

But first things first.

Germany needs at least 15 million e-cars on the roads to achieve the 2030 climate target

There is no doubt that politicians in the form of the federal government are putting some hope in electric cars.

This was confirmed by a top round in the Chancellery on Tuesday, January 10, 2023.

The participants in this round of mobility reaffirmed the federal government's goal of at least 15 million fully electric cars on Germany's roads by 2030.

Everything to achieve the 2030 climate target.

At least 15 million e-cars are needed on Germany's roads to achieve the 2030 climate target.

But are there enough charging stations?

© Julian Stratenschulte/dpa

"The participants agreed that a rapid ramp-up of e-mobility is necessary in order to achieve the climate targets in transport," government spokesman Steffen Hebestreit said in writing after the meeting.

In addition to Federal Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD), the "Strategy Platform Transformation of the Automotive and Mobility Industry" was attended by several ministers and representatives of the automotive and mobility industry, employees, science, the federal states and municipalities.

Expansion of the e-charging infrastructure in Germany is absolutely necessary for the 2030 climate target

According to Hebestreit, at the meeting as part of the top-level meeting, the expansion of the e-charging infrastructure, the tightened Euro 7 emissions standard and the high energy prices in Europe were discussed, among other things.

Criticism came from organizations such as

, which criticized the strong involvement of the car industry.

But representatives of the railway and bicycle industry also expressed their grudges because they were not invited.

According to the announcement, an expert advisory board on climate protection in mobility is to develop further options “in the near future” with which the transport sector can contribute to achieving the 2030 climate target.

By then, Germany is supposed to emit 65 percent less greenhouse gases than in 1990. But the transport sector is lagging behind.

It was not until autumn 2022 that the federal government presented a “master plan” for expanding the charging network for electric cars.

"When it comes to setting up and operating charging infrastructure, the energy and automotive industries are now primarily required," said von Hebestreit.

"We are clearly behind schedule": Criticism of the federal government's plans for electric cars

Criticism came up before Jörg Hofmann's top lap.

"We are clearly behind schedule on all the key targets that the federal government has set itself," said the IG Metall boss on

.

Citizens are still very cautious when purchasing electric cars.

From Hofmann's point of view, this would be due to the insufficient charging infrastructure.

She would be a great hindrance.

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What Germany's climate target for 2030 is all about

The amended Climate Protection Act also raises the targets for lower CO₂ emissions.

“The reduction target for 2030 increases by 10 percentage points to at least 65 percent.

This means that Germany should reduce its greenhouse gas emissions by 65 percent compared to 1990 by the end of the decade.”

This is how the federal government puts it on its website.

And these higher ambitions also affect the CO₂ reduction targets by 2030 in the individual sectors.

These are: energy management, industry, transport, buildings and agriculture.

The climate targets are continuously checked by means of monitoring.

The Expert Council for Climate Issues will present a report on the goals, measures and trends achieved to date every two years from 2022.

If the budgets are not adhered to, the federal government takes immediate action.

After all, charging infrastructure for e-cars must also be created where it is actually needed, for example in the countryside.

And not just where it's worth it.

In this context, the IG Metall boss spoke of hesitancy in the automotive industry and of plans that politicians had set themselves.

So will the 2023 climate target not be reached after all?

Only 16 percent of consumers in Germany want to buy an electric car

The fact is: Even before the top round in the Chancellery, the management consultancy Deloitte had warned that the framework conditions for a switch to climate-friendly cars in Germany had deteriorated.

On the one hand, higher interest rates and inflation, above all rising costs for batteries and electricity, in addition to the low state subsidies, would put a strain on demand.

And on the other hand, according to Deloitte, the still incomplete charging infrastructure remains an obstacle.

According to a recent Deloitte survey, only 16 percent of consumers in Germany currently want to buy an electric car.

There are hardly more interested parties than a year ago.