Berlin, July 2, (dpa)/GNA – Germany is on the verge of meeting its goal of one million electric cars, Economy Minister Peter Altmaier said in comments published Friday.
“We will reach our goal of one million electric cars by 2020 – which everyone thought was unattainable – this July, only half a year behind schedule,” Altmaier told the Tagesspiegel newspaper.
The achievement is in part down to billions of euros’ worth of purchase bonuses issued in Germany.
Altmaier said there would be a record subsidy for electric cars this year.
In the first half of 2021, 1.25 billion euros (1.48 billion dollars) of premiums had been claimed – more than in the whole of last year, he said.
Around half of the subsidized cars are purely electric vehicles, while the other half are so-called plug-in hybrids.
Since the start of the eco-rebate programme, more than 530,000 vehicles have been subsidized and about 2.1 billion euros in subsidies have been paid out, according to Altmaier.
The maximum subsidy for electric vehicles costing under 40,000 euros is now 9,000 euros, while for hybrids it is 6,750 euros.
“The bonus has helped many people to decide on buying an electric car,” Altmaier said.
He said the next target of having 7 to 10 million electric cars on German roads by 2030 could even be exceeded.
A shift towards personal transport that is climate-friendly is slowly becoming anchored in the general consciousness, he said, with companies also pushing forward with their innovation.
GNA