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Germany Wants 1 Million Electric Cars by 2020

19 August, 2009 11:24:00

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The German government has unveiled plans to put 1 million electric cars on the road by 2020.

The government plans to spark development in electric cars by offering incentives for research in area such as batteries and recharging systems.

The government plans to spend euro115 million ($162 million) examining in eight test regions how the cars could best be introduced.

"It is the federal government's aim that by 2020, there will be a million electric cars on Germany's streets," Economy Minister Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg said after the Cabinet approved the plan.

Daimler and utility RWE AG unveiled a joint electric car and charging station
test in Berlin.

He said the 1 million target by 2020 "is an ambitious aim, but one that we believe can be realized." Germany had more than 41 million cars on the road at the beginning of this year — only 1,452 of them electric cars.

"In 2030, this could be over five million. By 2050, traffic in towns and cities could be predominantly without fossil fuels," he added.

Last year, Daimler in collaboration with RWE, began an ‘e-mobility’ project in Berlin, with the use of more than 100 smart fortwos and Mercedes-Benz electric vehicles.

German luxury car maker BMW has already teamed up with auto parts maker Bosch and its Korean partner Samsung to supply lithium-ion batteries for a future electric city car, while Volkswagen hopes to turn out its first all-electric car in 2013.

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