Government sticks to e-mobility target despite Merkel doubts it can be reached

The German government is sticking to its goal of bringing one million electric vehicles onto the road by 2020, even though Chancellor Angela Merkel believes it will likely be missed. “The government and the National Platform for Electric Mobility are sticking to this ambitious goal and will strengthen their efforts to increase the acceptance of e-mobility,” a government spokesperson told the Clean Energy Wire in an e-mailed statement. He added that Merkel had only referred to past developments, while also stressing the possibility of exponential growth rates.
Merkel told fellow lawmakers earlier this week: “As it looks at the moment, we will not achieve this goal.” She added, however, that a mass market breakthrough of battery-powered cars could come very abruptly, as was the case with other innovations such as smartphones.

Find the transcript of Merkel’s speech in German here.

Find background in the CLEW dossier The Energiewende and German carmakers.