Cabinet Adopts Government Programme for Electric Mobility

Germany aims to take the lead in electric mobility and put one million electrically powered vehicles on German roads by 2020. As a step towards achieving this goal the Federal cabinet adopted the Government Programme for Electric Mobility on 18 May 2011. Its strategy to promote research, development and market introduction of electric mobility is the result of joints efforts by the four Federal ministries for economics, transport, environment and education and research. The government programme builds on many recommendations for action given in the Second Report by the National Platform for Electric Mobility, which was submitted to the Federal government on 16 May 2011.

The government programme provides for the introduction of the following key incentives and measures:

• Increase of research and development funding by an additional 1 billion euro by the end of 2013
• Establishment of regional "showcases" and technical "lighthouse projects"
• 10-year vehicle tax exemption for cars with CO2 emissions of less than 50g/km and bought by 31 December 2015
• Adjustment of the taxation on company cars in order to eliminate present taxation disadvantages of electric vehicles as compared to conventional vehicles as company cars
• Gradual switch over of the vehicle fleet of the Federal government to electric vehicles (target value: as of 2013 onwards CO2 emissions of 10 per cent of all new cars to be less than 50 g/km)
• Special parking areas and less rigid access prohibitions
• Use of bus lanes
• Introduction of a special label for environmentally friendly cars within the framework of the 40th Ordinance on the Implementation of the Federal Immission Control Act (so-called "blue label").

• Press release of 16 May 2011: National Platform for Electric Mobility Presents Second Report to German Government
• Government Programme for Electric Mobility (in German only)