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Green party wants only e-cars on Autobahn by 2030

DPA/The Local
DPA/The Local - [email protected]
Green party wants only e-cars on Autobahn by 2030
Photo: DPA.

The environmentalist Green party has an ambitious plan for German cars to be petrol- and diesel-free within the next 15 years.

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The future of German cars is electro - at least for the Green party.

The Greens wrote in a parliamentary proposal set to be presented in November and seen by DPA this week that they want to see no more new cars with petrol or diesel engines on German roads by 2030, and to promote electro-mobility. They explained that their ideas are also in the interest of car manufacturers.

“The increasing number of cars worldwide is one of the biggest threats to the climate and to human health,” the proposal states.

“The automotive industry will only have a future if they develop vehicles that are clean and quiet, and do not create more CO2.”

The Green party also said that German car producers have reached an impasse when it comes to combustion engines, while electric car manufacturers in China, Japan and the US have a head-start.

Additionally, the Greens said that the German car industry should have gotten a “wake-up call” when Volkswagen’s “dieselgate” scandal broke last year, revealing that the manufacturer had programmed millions of their diesel engines to deceive emissions tests.

“Since dieselgate and the climate change agreement in Paris, it is clear: The combustion engine is outdated,” said Green party leader Simone Peter.

“A switch to climate-friendly electro-mobility powered by renewable energy is overdue.”

German lawmakers recently ratified the UN Paris Agreement, which calls for countries to find ways to keep rising temperatures within 2C (3.6F) above pre-industrial levels.

Peter said that Germany must do more to boost the use of green energy in order to meet the agreement’s goals.

The Greens also therefore want to pass a Renewable Energy Act after the 2017 general election, repeal the country’s cap on wind, solar and biomass energy, and complete the country’s withdrawal from coal energy within 20 years.

An overhaul of the country’s transportation system is also necessary, according to the Greens, especially placing a greater emphasis on rail systems.

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