New German govt aims for at least 15 million electric vehicles by 2030

The goal is part of the country's shift towards climate neutrality. PHOTO: REUTERS

BERLIN (REUTERS) - Germany aims to have at least 15 million electric cars on the roads by 2030 in its shift towards climate neutrality, according to the coalition agreement of the incoming government published on Wednesday (Nov 24).

The Social Democrats, Greens and liberal Free Democrats, which plan to form the next government of Europe's largest economy, also plan to increase rail freight transport by 25 per cent by the end of the decade, the agreement showed.

"According to the European Commission's proposals, only CO2-neutral vehicles will be registered in the transport sector in Europe in 2035 - the impact on Germany will be felt sooner accordingly," the coalition agreement said.

"Outside of the existing system of fleet targets, we are working to ensure that only vehicles with the proven ability to be fuelled with e-fuels can be newly registered."

The parties also agreed to push for a European air travel surcharge like the one that is already in place in Germany, the document said.

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