The Electric Mobility Act (EmoG – Elektromobilitätsgesetz) makes it easier for municipalities to create incentives for electric mobility on a local level. Electric vehicles can be granted special privileges – their own parking spaces free of charge, for example, or driving in the bus lane. The aim is to make the switch to electric mobility more attractive and to achieve municipal climate protection goals and air pollution control targets more quickly.

The EmoG came into force on 12 June 2015. Every three years, an expert committee commissioned by the Federal Ministry of Digital and Transport (BMDV – Bundesministerium für Digitales und Verkehr) and coordinated by NOW GmbH, evaluates its implementation status in the municipalities. The second report has now been published. It identifies problems in local implementation, outlines the current development of electric mobility in Germany and Europe, maps the latest state of discussion in municipalities and expert circles, as well as identifying options for improving and adapting legislation.

Kurt-Christoph von Knobelsdorff, Managing Director (Chair) of NOW GmbH: “The EmoG has accompanied and supported municipalities throughout the ramp-up of e-mobility. It is now important to harmonise and further develop the framework conditions with the evolving climate policy at both the national and European level in order to be able to make an effective contribution towards further supporting the appeal of alternative drives among the population.”

 

Results at a glance: Needs for improvement and adjustments

The aim of the discussions with stakeholders from federal ministries, municipalities and trade associations was to identify areas where the law needs to be improved and adapted. The following is a summary of the results:

Areas of application of the EmoG

  • Plug-in hybrids support the market ramp-up of electric mobility as a transitional technology. It is recommended that they continue to be included in the scope of the EmoG, but that this be linked to a further development of the currently applicable environmental criteria; which could, among other things, include an increase in the electric range to at least 60 kilometres.
  • In order to support electrified city logistics and local public transport in the municipalities, commercial vehicles and buses should also be able to obtain E-plates.

Recommended local measures

  • Designate specific parking areas for e-vehicles, take firm action against parking violators.
  • Create e-car zones – especially in combination with bicycle zones, this could create zero-emission zones.
  • Make the charging infrastructure more visible in order to reduce the distances to the next charging station.

State of implementation of EmoG in the municipalities

  • The majority of municipalities are now aware of the EmoG (70 percent).  This is a clear development compared to the last survey.
  • 74 percent of the municipalities that participated in the survey (631 German municipalities with a population of 5,000 or more) grant e-vehicles parking privileges.  A further 7 percent are planning to do so in 2022. Reduced parking fees for e-vehicles have been introduced in a quarter of the municipalities.
  • The municipalities that are already actively involved mentioned the commitment of financial and human resources as the main challenge.  In the non-active municipalities, “lack of opportunities for implementation” (43 percent) was cited as the main challenge: For example, there is a lack of parking space or bus lanes that could be used for e-vehicles.

NOW is currently working on an EmoG implementation guide for municipalities, which will be published shortly.

Download the latest EmoG Report 2021 (PDF, in German)