Germany’s coalition government reversed course and will now include hybrids in their 2030 electrification goal.
The announcement, a somewhat shocking reverse came from German Transport Minister Volker Wissing at a conference organized by the Handelsblatt newspaper.
Previously, the government committed to having at least 15 million fully-electric passenger vehicles on the road in Germany by 2030, according to Automotive News.
However, in the conference on Monday, Minister Wissing noted that hybrids would be included in the 15 million number.
According to Kraftfahrt-Bundesamt (KBA), Germany’s federal transport authority, there are one million electrified vehicles on the road in the country as of right now. Around half are fully electric, while the other half are hybrids.
In addition to reversing course, Wissing also ruffled some feathers by not excluding the possibility of powering combustion engine cars with synthetic fuels. The Liberal Democrats are the only party to support e-fuels.
E-fuels combine hydrogen with carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. Although they are environmentally friendly, the creation of these fuels is costly.
In addition, these fuels need a fair amount of renewable energy to make the fuel carbon-neutral.
At least to say, Minister Wissing ruffled a few feathers with his comments at this conference. However, he has since stepped back on the e-fuel discussion and limiting e-fuels to shipping, aviation and heavy-duty vehicles.
