HANNOVER (dpa-AFX) - According to Lower Saxony's Minister President Olaf Lies, buying an electric car should be financially worthwhile for everyone. "It is our responsibility to ensure that electric cars are the more economical solution for everyone," the SPD politician and member of Volkswagen's supervisory board told the German Press Agency.
With cheaper electricity prices, electric cars would already be more economical than combustion engines for many people, Lies continued. "But nobody talks about that," he criticized. "People still think that electric cars are too expensive, have too short a range, and that the batteries don't last. This has long since been proven wrong in many areas."
Lies went on to say: "I'm not the one saying that everyone has to drive electric cars. But I am saying that you have to be able to afford mobility tomorrow. And in tomorrow's electrified world, the direct use of electricity is the only way to achieve that."
Tax breaks for electric cars? Lies calls for swift implementation
However, politicians must make e-mobility even more attractive beyond lower electricity prices: Lies described the federal government's plans for a tax incentive for electric mobility as important. This now requires "detailed information and rapid implementation."
In addition to the affordability of mobility, he is also concerned that cars should continue to be manufactured at German locations. "That won't work if you only serve the declining market for combustion engines," said Lies.
The minister president himself owns three old Volkswagen cars, all of which are combustion engines. For business purposes, however, he switched to fully electric cars years ago.
"Extreme consumer restraint" is causing problems for VW
With regard to the VW crisis, Lies said that the renewal process within the group would be continued intensively in the coming years: "The electric platform is in place. The electric cars that are coming will be very well suited to the various customer groups, right down to the low-cost vehicles."
Volkswagen offers more than just electric cars, even if this is "sometimes overlooked" in the public perception, said Lies. "I am convinced that Volkswagen is on the right track – unless the market fails to pick up. We are experiencing extreme consumer restraint. People are not buying because they are uncertain about the future. That's why we need economic stability." If there is an economic upturn, people will start buying more cars again. /cwe/DP/mis
