Despite implementation problems, the German government and the automotive industry are sticking to their goal of putting at least 15 million electric cars on German roads by 2030.

This was announced by government spokesperson Steffen Hebestreit on Tuesday evening after a meeting between Chancellor Olaf Scholz and top representatives of the mobility industry. The rapid implementation of e-mobility is necessary in order to achieve the climate targets in the transport sector. Topics discussed at the top-level meeting included the expansion of the e-charging infrastructure, the stricter Euro 7 emissions standard and the high energy prices in Europe. It was agreed that the "Strategy Platform Transformation of the Automotive and Mobility Industry (STAM)" with representatives from politics, business and the civil sector should meet more frequently in future.

The heads of BMW, VW, Mercedes, Opel and Tesla, as well as company representatives from the battery company Northvolt and the semiconductor manufacturer Infineon, took part in the top-level meeting. On the government side, Scholz was joined by Economics Minister Robert Habeck, Finance Minister Christian Lindner, Transport Minister Volker Wissing, Environment Minister Steffi Lemke, Labor Minister Hubertus Heil and Head of the Chancellery Wolfgang Schmidt. Among others, the general works councils of the companies, Lower Saxony's Minister President Stephan Weil and top municipal representatives were also among the participants. Previously, there had been criticism from representatives of the rail and bicycle industries, for example, that they had not been invited. According to government circles, the meeting in the Chancellery was about an initial joint stocktaking of politics and business. The topics of the meetings would change each time.

Christian Hochfeld, head of the Agora Verkehrswende think tank, called for more far-reaching resolutions for the switch to e-mobility. "A weak climate policy would be sweet poison for the automotive industry," warned Hochfeld, who was also at the table in the Chancellery. The framework conditions are the responsibility of politicians. "It is therefore high time for a tax and financial reform in road transport geared towards climate neutrality," he made clear. "This includes, for example, an effective and socially balanced further development of vehicle and company car taxation." These points are met with skepticism in the FDP-led ministries for transport and finance. However, there was no open conflict between the transport and environment ministers, according to participants.

Participants from the business world expressed their satisfaction when asked. "Overall, the Chancellor was very deeply involved in the topics" and asked everyone specific questions, according to participants. However, dissent was evident in the discussion about the charging behavior of e-car owners. 89 percent of cars are currently charged at home, but it was disputed how much this should and will change in the future. However, there was agreement that fast-charging options are absolutely necessary for commercial vehicles. The German government will work at EU level to promote the expansion of the truck charging infrastructure. "Adapted, ambitious CO2 fleet limits for trucks are essential for climate protection," said the government spokesperson.

Closer cooperation has been agreed in the area of automotive software and autonomous driving. This is intended to strengthen the competitiveness of the local automotive industry. The main reason for this is the very strong competition from China and the USA in these sectors. In addition, closer cooperation is planned in the areas of raw material supply, battery cell production and semiconductor production to make Germany and Europe more resilient in their supply chains.

Management consultants Deloitte had previously warned that the framework conditions for switching to climate-friendly cars in Germany had deteriorated. On the one hand, higher interest rates and inflation, in particular the rising cost of batteries and electricity, in addition to the low level of state subsidies, were weighing on demand. On the other hand, the still patchy charging infrastructure remains a drag. According to a recent survey by Deloitte, only 16% of consumers in Germany want to buy an electric car, hardly any more than a year ago.

(Report by Andreas Rinke, Victoria Waldersee, Christian Krämer, Ilona Wissenbach; edited by Birgit Mittwollen. If you have any questions, please contact our editorial team at berlin.newsroom@thomsonreuters.com (for politics and the economy) or frankfurt.newsroom@thomsonreuters.com (for companies and markets).