All eyes on Germany as sustainable mobility organisations challenge car scrappage schemes
Kevin Mayne
Leader, advisor, consultant in cycling, sustainable transport and recreation.
Sustainable mobility advocates are looking at next Tuesday as one of the most important moments in assessing the national response to the Coronavirus pandemic.
Car makers are meeting the German government to ask for premiums to compensate for corona-related losses. After the 2008 economic crash such schemes attracted around €6 billion from the government. This time it could be different. An alliance is calling for a mobility premium that does not disadvantage any mode of transport. This has been accompanied by a lot of media interest and even the news magazine Spiegel calling for a subsidy for e-bikes instead of e-cars.
The call under the banner #MobilPr?mieFürAlle was initiated by cyclists’ association ADFC and supported by a range of associations and companies including ACE, Allianz pro Schiene, Bundesverband Zukunft Fahrrad BVZF, Changing Cities, Deutscher Naturschutzring DNR, Jobrad, Nextbike, Pro Bahn, VCD, VSF, and ZIV. These include a major car club, environmental NGOs and the national consumer protection organization. The public transport umbrella VDV was not part of the initial coalition, but quickly stated support for the alliance.
The timing of this move is welcomed by Cycling Industries Europe. At CIE’s Annual Summit CEO Kevin Mayne told an industry and EU audience that there should be no more ring-fenced funds for the car and aviation industries, suggesting instead that the EU should coordinate a €5billion e-bike access fund. “Investments not bailouts” he highlighted, also showing that each €1 assistance for a bicycle purchase supports more jobs than the same money spent on car subsidies.
There is also a question if a fund just for electric cars could constitute unfair State Aid under EU laws, because since 2008 the mobility market has become multi-modality and to offer state aid to only one market segment could be abuse of market position.
To read more (in German) click here, or search the hashtag #MobilPr?mieFürAlle
Leader in EV. Chief Strategy Officer at Paythru. Presenter. Podcaster. “The future of EV charging is in our hands”
4 年Wow that is bold! I’m impressed to read all about it.
Head of Customer Service @ 3T Bike | Bike Manager
4 年We will see how strong the influence of this lobby remains in these fast changing and challenging times. A move towards greener mobility solutions by Germany could be a very strong signal and set an example for French and Italian governments among others.