Electric cars account for 2.5 % of all new registrations in Germany, for the first time. The market potential for 3.5 million electric vehicles already exists today. Local authorities as procurers and users are of central importance for the expansion of electric mobility. Conference informs municipalities, transport companies and fleet operators about technology development, good practice examples and BMVI funding programmes. By the end of 2021, Baden-Württemberg will have provided a total of 83.5 million euros for the promotion of e-mobility and the development of charging infrastructure, across all departments.
Berlin/Stuttgart, March 26, 2019 – In January and February 2019, the market share of electric vehicles among new vehicle registrations exceeded the threshold of 2.5% of the total vehicle market for the first time. That is almost 7,000 electric cars per month – significantly more than in the comparable months in previous years. With this encouraging news, almost 500 participants will start the 6th “Elektromobilität vor Ort” conference on local electric mobility conference of the Federal Ministry of Transport and Digital Infrastructure (BMVI – Bundesministerium für Verkehr und digitale Infrastruktur) in Stuttgart.
The conference will provide information on the switch to e-mobility in public transport, at municipalities and in commercial transport; on progress being made in developing infrastructure for alternative fuels; and on current technological developments. The focus is on the switch to electric mobility in cities and municipalities. Representatives of municipalities, municipal enterprises and transport companies as well as operators of vehicle fleets will receive practical information on the corresponding funding opportunities through the BMVI programmes. The conference is organised by NOW GmbH.
NOW Managing Director Dr. Klaus Bonhoff emphasises the local commitment to the changeover to clean mobility: “As procurers and users, the municipalities have a strategic significance for the further ramp-up of the market. We need 10 million vehicles with zero emissions on the roads in Germany by 2030 in order to achieve the climate targets that have been set. With the battery electric vehicle types available today, there is already a market potential of 3.5 million electric vehicles. The first necessary requirements for the refuelling and charging infrastructure will be in place by 2020. With 100 hydrogen filling stations, at least 36,000 public standard charging stations and 7,000 fast charging stations, mobility with alternative fuels and drives will be possible for an extensive number of people across the nation.”
Within the scope of the BMVI’s “Elektromobilität vor Ort” (“Local Electric Mobility”) funding guideline, which has been in force since 2015, much has already been achieved with the instruments of research and development as well as procurement and concept funding. This includes: 11,000 fleet vehicles and 5,000 charging infrastructure points necessary for their operation. Findings from day-to-day project work are brought together and evaluated in the accompanying research of the funding programme.
A current evaluation of the BMVI funding programme for charging infrastructure for electric vehicles also shows clear progress. Since 1 March 2017, private investors, cities and municipalities have been able to submit applications for the construction and expansion of charging points as part of two calls for proposals (spring and autumn 2017). The first call for proposals led to the approval of about 9,000 charging points (as of February 2019), including 1,500 fast charging points. In the course of the second call for proposals (spring 2019), about 7,000 charging points were approved, of which almost 1,000 were fast charging points. Between November 2018 and February 2019, a third call for proposals was issued, during which applications were made to establish more than 10,000 charging points, including more than 5,000 fast charging points. Here, the new Infrastructure for Alternative Fuels location tool was used for the first time to facilitate the coordinated development of public charging infrastructure.
With Stuttgart, Baden-Württemberg is the host of the 6th “Elektromobilität vor Ort” (Local Electric Mobility) conference in 2019. The federal state is committed to the construction of charging points within the scope of the opening clause for states (Länderöffnungungsklausel). With its blanket safety charging network for electric vehicles (SAFE – Sicherheitsladenetz für Elektrofahrzeuge), Baden-Württemberg is sending a clear and unique signal against the still widespread fear of range in the use of electric vehicles and is ensuring that there will be charging facilities everywhere in the state, in the future. Presentations on electric mobility and industrial transformation in the Stuttgart region, strategy and development of charging infrastructure from the perspective of a rural state and practical information on the development of charging infrastructure using the example of Ludwigsburg will focus on the federal state.
Dr. Wolfgang Fischer, e-mobil BW: “In numerous research projects within the framework of the Electric Mobility Model Region and Showcase Electric Mobility programmes in Baden-Württemberg, we have been able to gather a great deal of experience in the application of a wide variety of electric vehicles and the development of a needs-based charging infrastructure. However, we also consider the exchange with experts from other German states and regions, e.g. in the BMVI strategy group, to be particularly valuable. We are therefore delighted to be able to welcome the electric mobility conference to Baden-Württemberg this year.”
“A current scientific study shows us how strongly the automotive-focused Stuttgart region is affected by the transformation processes,” explained Dr. Walter Rogg, Managing Director of Wirtschaftsförderung Region Stuttgart GmbH (WRS). “According to this, every second workstation in the powertrain area is at risk. Depending on the pace of change, the bottom line is a loss of up to 10,000 jobs. In order to make the job balance as favourable as possible, we want to actively accompany the structural change with the Automobilwirtschaft Region Stuttgart transformation alliance and establish as many electric mobility components as possible in the region. As a regional economic development agency, we also offer support to small and medium-sized enterprises with a focus on employment development and qualification.”
An extensive excursion programme, a glance at social and technical challenges, the opportunities of clean commercial and heavy goods transport, an overview of legal issues within the framework of the Electric Mobility Act and practical examples of successful emission-free public transport round off the conference programme. Event partners are the Stuttgart Region Economic Development Corporation and e-mobil BW. The conference takes place in cooperation with the German Association of Cities and Towns (Deutscher Städtetag), the German Association of Counties (Deutscher Landkreistag), the German Association of Towns and Municipalities (Deutscher Städte- und Gemeindebund), the Association of Municipal Enterprises (Verband kommunaler Unternehmen), the Association of German Transport Companies (Verband deutscher Verkehrsunternehmen) and the Fraunhofer Institute for Systems and Innovation Research (Fraunhofer-Institut für System- und Innovationsforschung).
NOW provides practical information for local authorities on its website www.starterset-elektromobilität.de (in German).
Information on all current and completed projects is documented in the Project Finder.