Federal Finance Minister Lars Klingbeil (SPD) has warned German car manufacturers against sticking to the combustion engine. The car companies should “not misunderstand” the EU proposal to relax CO₂ limits, said the SPD leader and vice chancellor in an interview with the New Osnabrücker Zeitung (NOZ).
“If you think now that you can rely on diesel and gasoline engines for a long time, then your difficulties will be even greater in a few years. The path to electromobility must continue at high speed,” said Klingbeil. “The future of mobility is electric.” Especially with a view to foreign competition, Klingbeil confirmed that German car manufacturers have a “need to catch up”. He pointed out “how far we have already come, also because the government is massively promoting the switch.”
The EU Commission had proposed on Tuesdayto reduce CO₂ fleet emissions by only 90 percent instead of 100 percent from 2035. This means that new hybrid or electric vehicles with a gasoline generator on board can still be registered afterwards. Car manufacturers must offset the resulting emissions by using green steel from the EU or by using CO₂-neutral fuels, so-called e-fuels.
“Flexible” path to climate neutrality
The Finance Minister described the Brussels proposal as a viable compromise. “We have now found a good way to make the path to climate neutrality more flexible, for example by allowing hybrids for even longer,” he said. In addition, the following applies: “If we act pragmatically, then protecting jobs and protecting the climate are not opposites.”
Klingbeil’s cabinet colleague, Federal Transport Minister Patrick Schnieder (CDU)shared the Vice Chancellor’s concerns about the future viability of Germany Automotive industry not. Schnieder told the newspapers of the Funke media group that German manufacturers will fall further behind when it comes to electric cars. “The pressure and the will for electromobility are there,” he said. At the same time, it should be noted that combustion cars continue to be produced in China and the USA.
