Photo: Daimler
It's starting to look more and more like we're about to witness the end of an era. And what an era it was with some absolutely gorgeous cars and wonderful engines, but as everybody finds out sooner or later, all good things must come to an end.
Fans of internal combustion engines could still maintain some hope as long as Germany, the unofficial cradle of the love for motoring, was still on board with building cars that go "bang," but their dreams might soon come crashing down. Well, no sooner than 2030.
A recent report from The Globe and Mail quotes an undisclosed high-ranking official in the German government who said that the authorities are ready to adopt a decision preventing any fossil fuel-burning car from being registered in Germany after 2030. Similar initiatives have been considered by the Dutch and Norwegian governments as well, but no concrete action was taken so far by either of them.
Germany has failed so far to provide sufficient incentives for people to switch to electric cars despite having set some strict goals concerning the country's overall CO2 emissions, of which transportation represents one-fifth. Only 0.6 percent of the cars driving on German roads currently have an electric powertrain, with the forecast for the next ten years not looking particularly good: the percentage is estimated to grow to 8% by 2025.
It's a lot easier for countries without a powerful automotive industry to take such decisions, but the opposition in Germany must be fierce. And since a big part of its economy relies one way or another on carmaking, the officials might have to overcome some strong opposition before such a law can pass.
On the other hand, the manufacturers themselves are starting to catch up to the trend, with Mercedes-Benz announcing a strong EV line-up coming by 2020, and other brands such as Volkswagen or Porsche planning emissions-free vehicles as well.
Looking at the sales numbers registered so far this year, Germany will have to undergo a drastic change since right now, only 130,000 hybrids and 25,000 electrics have been registered in Germany since the beginning of 2016, compared to 30 million gasoline and 14.5 million diesels. Unless my math fails me, that equals 0.05 percent, so Germans would have to go from 0.05% to 100% in just 14 years. That's harsh. And, to be honest, highly doubtful.
A recent report from The Globe and Mail quotes an undisclosed high-ranking official in the German government who said that the authorities are ready to adopt a decision preventing any fossil fuel-burning car from being registered in Germany after 2030. Similar initiatives have been considered by the Dutch and Norwegian governments as well, but no concrete action was taken so far by either of them.
Germany has failed so far to provide sufficient incentives for people to switch to electric cars despite having set some strict goals concerning the country's overall CO2 emissions, of which transportation represents one-fifth. Only 0.6 percent of the cars driving on German roads currently have an electric powertrain, with the forecast for the next ten years not looking particularly good: the percentage is estimated to grow to 8% by 2025.
It's a lot easier for countries without a powerful automotive industry to take such decisions, but the opposition in Germany must be fierce. And since a big part of its economy relies one way or another on carmaking, the officials might have to overcome some strong opposition before such a law can pass.
On the other hand, the manufacturers themselves are starting to catch up to the trend, with Mercedes-Benz announcing a strong EV line-up coming by 2020, and other brands such as Volkswagen or Porsche planning emissions-free vehicles as well.
Looking at the sales numbers registered so far this year, Germany will have to undergo a drastic change since right now, only 130,000 hybrids and 25,000 electrics have been registered in Germany since the beginning of 2016, compared to 30 million gasoline and 14.5 million diesels. Unless my math fails me, that equals 0.05 percent, so Germans would have to go from 0.05% to 100% in just 14 years. That's harsh. And, to be honest, highly doubtful.
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