Greens ask for electric car buyer allowance
The Green Party wants to boost electric and hybrid car sales by offering buyers a subsidy worth thousands of euros, it was reported on Wednesday.
A new proposal in parliament asks the government for a €5,000 buyer subsidy for private people looking to buy a electric car. The Green parliamentary committee behind the request has also suggested a €2,000 subsidy for people looking to buy a hybrid vehicle.
The Green Party Member of Parliament behind the proposal, Stephan Kühn, accused federal Transportation Minister Alexander Dobrindt of keeping his foot on the brakes on the electric auto market.
Kühn said the federal government should use taxes collected from cars whose emissions are over the European limits to fund the subsidies.
Many Germans cite the higher price tags as one of the hurdles to switching from combustion to an electric motor-driven car.
A lack of infrastructure, such as charging stations, is also cited as a hindrance.
Germany has set ambitious goals for electric vehicles on the Autobahns: In 2009, Chancellor Angela Merkel said there would be one million electric cars on German roads by 2020. With five years left to that goal, there are only 24,000 electric cars being driven in Germany.
In 2014, Germans bought 3.04 million cars, reported the Automobile Industry Association in January. Only 8,522 of those cars were electric, said the National Platform for Electric Mobility (NPE). Hybrid vehicles accounted for 27,435 vehicle sales.
To reach Merkel's goal, Germans must buy 195,200 electric cars per year for the next five years.
In September 2014, the federal government introduced the "electric mobility laws", which grant municipalities the ability to allow electric cars in bus lanes or provide free parking.
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A new proposal in parliament asks the government for a €5,000 buyer subsidy for private people looking to buy a electric car. The Green parliamentary committee behind the request has also suggested a €2,000 subsidy for people looking to buy a hybrid vehicle.
The Green Party Member of Parliament behind the proposal, Stephan Kühn, accused federal Transportation Minister Alexander Dobrindt of keeping his foot on the brakes on the electric auto market.
Kühn said the federal government should use taxes collected from cars whose emissions are over the European limits to fund the subsidies.
Many Germans cite the higher price tags as one of the hurdles to switching from combustion to an electric motor-driven car.
A lack of infrastructure, such as charging stations, is also cited as a hindrance.
Germany has set ambitious goals for electric vehicles on the Autobahns: In 2009, Chancellor Angela Merkel said there would be one million electric cars on German roads by 2020. With five years left to that goal, there are only 24,000 electric cars being driven in Germany.
In 2014, Germans bought 3.04 million cars, reported the Automobile Industry Association in January. Only 8,522 of those cars were electric, said the National Platform for Electric Mobility (NPE). Hybrid vehicles accounted for 27,435 vehicle sales.
To reach Merkel's goal, Germans must buy 195,200 electric cars per year for the next five years.
In September 2014, the federal government introduced the "electric mobility laws", which grant municipalities the ability to allow electric cars in bus lanes or provide free parking.
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