Economy minister Altmaier calls for mobility transition push over coming four years

The current legislative period must be used to significantly advance the transport transition in Germany, said economy and energy minister Peter Altmaier at the Tagesspiegel’s Future Mobility Summit in Berlin. “I believe that we have to bring the alternative drives and e-mobility to a crucial result over the coming four years – fully electric vehicles, hybrids, fuel cell vehicles, efficient and environmentally friendly optimised combustion engine vehicles,” said Altmaier. This must happen without preferring any one technology, he said. “But this should not be an excuse to do nothing at all.” Together with the European allies, the government wants to ensure that the EU and Germany remain “locations for innovation that makes citizens’ lives easier over the next 50 years.” Altmaier said that in the future there would only be one single app that organises mobility. He said he hoped this would be “as popular as Facebook” and created in Germany.

For background, read the CLEW dossier The Energiewende and German carmakers and the factsheet The debate over an end to combustion engines in Germany.