Chancellor Angela Merkel set an ambitious goal in 2011: By 2020, there should be a million electric cars on Germany’s roads. With not even 4.600 of them out there now, this number seems out of grasp.
What makes the existing number seem even more pitiful is that most of these cars likely belong to corporations, utilities and municipalities. They all have an interest in promoting the technology. Cities buy electric buses and cars because being green is in vogue. Green companies can raise their profiles, too. And utilities are delighted to have another outlet to sell their electricity.
But while public and corporate institutions can buy a few thousand cars, they can’t buy a million. And the man on the street won’t either: The cars can often be a third more expensive than their traditional gasoline-run counterparts. Also, they don’t run for long without needing charging. Thus, in 2012, only 3.000 electric cars were sold in Germany – far fewer than expected.
No Purchasing Subsidies in Sight
So far, Germany has invested €500 million in the promotion of electromobility, and might invest more. But in economically hard times, it balks at more expensive measures: There will be no tax breaks for consumers, let alone direct purchasing subsidies like they have in the USA and France.
Still, after talking to the industry in October, Merkel would not openly revise her goal, and instead spoke vaguely about technological advancements that would come in following years.
As the chancellor does not want to reconsider her goal nor take the steps necessary to reach it, it might arguably be best for her not to touch on it at all – which could be exactly what she plans on doing in 2013.
