BERLIN / FRANKFURT – The German government on Wednesday approved a plan to spend 6.3 billion euros ($6.1 billion) over three years to rapidly expand the number of charging stations for tram nationwide, as part of efforts towards net zero emissions.
The plan envisages a 14-fold increase in the number of charging stations, from around 70,000 currently to 1 million by 2030. It will focus on building them in local municipalities that are currently underserved. provide adequate.
It also aims to have 15 million electric vehicles on German roads by 2030 from around 1.5 million today. Other measures in the government plan include skirunning state approval to build charging points.
“Our goal: to accelerate the expansion of toll infrastructure, simplify the toll process and thus make it easier for people to switch,” Federal Transport Minister Volker Wissing said in a statement. An announcement.
“We know that electromechanical capacity is growing rapidly, so we have to be quick.”
Germany is expecting the electric vehicle market to grow exponentially and the government wants to make it more attractive for buyers to switch to such cars, Wissing said at a press conference after the cabinet through the plan.
“There has to be a positive experience that comes with it,” he said.
Germany is home to battery-powered vehicle manufacturers, including Volkswagen and Teslawhere there is a factory on the outskirts of the capital.
The push for electric vehicles comes amid soaring electricity prices, stemming from an energy crisis caused by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
To get around that, the German government plans to cap electricity prices, and Wissing argues that the energy crisis shouldn’t derail longer-term climate goals.
The electric vehicle plan has drawn mixed reactions from industry associations, which have long complained that the government has failed to keep up with the rapid expansion of electric vehicles.
The German Automobile Industry Association (VDA) says this is an important step and the speed at which the proposals are implemented is now key. The BDEW Energy and Water Business Association said the proposals would lead to more state planning and control, calling it costly window replacements.
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(Written by Matthias Williams; Edited by Bernadette Baum)
