Speed ​​limit on the Brenner autobahn “illogical”: Are Bavarian drivers disadvantaged?

Speed ​​limits do not apply to electric cars on some Austrian motorways.

However, only for those with Austrian registration.

That could violate EU law.

• On some routes on

  Austrian motorways

  ,

  speed limits

  do not apply to

  electric

  or hydrogen vehicles.

• However, this regulation only applies to vehicles with

  Austrian license plates

  .

• A Munich Bundestag member of the CSU accuses the Austrian government of

  discrimination

  .

Munich - Anyone who

on the

in

knows the signs: A

with the note IG-L.

The abbreviation stands for "Immissionsschutzgesetz Luft" and means that a

introduced to improve air quality.

A

maximum speed of 100

km

/ h

is therefore prescribed

on some routes that are very popular with Bavarian drivers, for example on the

and the

in Tyrol.

At least for most cars.

Electric cars on motorways such as the Inntalautobahn in Austria: the speed limit does not apply

Because

the speed limits do not apply

to vehicles with a purely

or with hydrogen fuel cell technology, they are allowed to drive up to 130 km / h.

The drivers are then made aware of the exception on another sign.

Prerequisite for lifting the speed limit: An Austrian license plate

The prerequisite for this: a white

with green letters, which is given

to electric and hydrogen vehicles

in

.

Conversely, this means: If a Bavarian drives a similar car that emits just as few pollutants, he has to adhere to the speed limit of 100 km / h - because he does not have the required license plate.

The Munich CSU member of the Bundestag Wolfgang Stefinger has therefore made a request to the Federal Ministry of Transport.

“The rule is illogical when it comes to preventing emissions,” he says.

It makes no sense that

and

vehicles that are registered in other countries of the European Union are treated differently than cars from

.

Foreign electric cars are discriminated against on Austrian motorways

If the reason for the exemption is the low level of pollutant emissions, this applies regardless of the location of the approval.

“The regulation is a clear violation of the

” says Stefinger.

Because the equal treatment of all EU citizens is a "fundamental principle of the European legal order".

The assessment of the Federal Ministry of Transport also states that the rule "

should be viewed critically

with regard to the EU law

", since only Austrian vehicles are favored.

Discrimination on Austrian motorways: EU commission should deal with case

The Federal Ministry of Transport explains that the European Commission, as guardian of the treaties, is responsible for monitoring whether measures taken by EU states are compatible with EU law.

In the event of a breach, it is possible “to take action against a member state by way of infringement proceedings”.

Stefinger would therefore like to bring the case to the EU Commission and the Austrian Transport Minister.

“I think the chances of success are very good,” he says.

There are two options: “Either

cancels the special rule or adjusts it so that it applies to everyone,” he explains.

It is then important

to find

a uniform solution for

and

vehicles

at European level

.

“No country should be disadvantaged,” he demands.

One possibility could be

to create

license plates for

with uniform specifications (there are also suggestions for EU-wide tolls) that are recognized by all countries.

Because the topic will become more and more important in the future, emphasizes Stefinger.

Currently, only a small group of drivers are

affected

by the rule in

.

"But we want to support e-mobility and hope that it will increase."