The German federal government has outlined its plans for a greener future – with plans to put one million electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles on to the roads by 2020.
According to figures produced by the European Automobile Manufacturer’s Association (ACEA) there was a total vehicle fleet of around 49.7million in 2006. Now Germany hopes to become a lead market for electric mobility and hopes that by providing electric cars from renewable sources it can create a sustainable form of mobility for the future.
A conference was held and attended by around 600 participants including executives from German car manufacturers, suppliers, utilities and research institutions. On display were some of the leading German manufacturer’s most exciting green car innovations such as the BMW Mini E, the Volkswagen Golf Twin Drive and the Daimler E-Smart. Lightweight vehicles were also showcased including the two-seated TWIKE and a battery-powered light duty commercial vehicle by EcoCraft.
The target set by the German government follows a series of green projects. In June it launched “Fleet test: electric drive vehicles”, a four-year project demonstrating plug-in hybrid electric vehicle fleets and vehicle-to-grid.
The government has also poured €60 million into supporting the Lithium Ionen Batterie 2015 consortium which is focusing on the research and development of lithium-ion batteries.
