“Schulz pushes for e-car quota”
Social Democratic (SPD) chancellor candidate Martin Schulz calls for a binding European e-mobility quota as a consequence of the diesel scandal, reports Peter Fahrenholz for Süddeutsche Zeitung (SZ). “With a binding European e-mobility quota we will significantly increase the share of e-vehicles,” writes Schulz in a . The auto industry suffered a crisis of trust and faced the “biggest structural change in its history”. Schulz’s proposals:
- The measures agreed at the diesel summit needed to be implemented, and hardware updates should be made available to customers that could not afford a new car and thus were unable to use the buyer’s bonuses offered.
- Government oversight had to be improved, legal certainty strengthened, including the possibility of class-action lawsuits.
- Investments, innovations and framework conditions for sustainable mobility: This included ambitious CO₂ limits at EU level from 2020, a binding European e-mobility quota, and other measures.
- Industry policy for the future of mobility: Germany should invest in its own battery and battery cell production, the e-car charging infrastructure needed to be expanded faster, and research supported.
- Developing new integrated transport concepts.
Driving bans for diesel cars had to be avoided, writes Schulz. He calls for a second diesel summit in autumn to debate the next steps.
Read the article in German , find the plan in German , and a Deutsche Welle article on the topic in English .
For background, read the 淨 article German carmakers pledge diesel software updates and buyer’s bonus and the factsheet The debate over an end to combustion engines in Germany.