World capitalism in January 2017 Fixing Capitalism v Moving to another system
Germany, home of Volkswagen, Porsche and BMW, plans to become a global leader in the development of low carbon vehicles.
The country will increase production of electric vehicles of less than 2000 units currently to 1 million units by 2020 and 5 million units in 2030, with the help of some 500 million euros to 705 million US in research funding until 2012, the government announced last month.
Overall, emissions of German greenhouse gas emissions have fallen about 21 percent since 1990, but emissions from transport increased by about 1 per cent until 2005 to achieve its goal of reducing emissions 40 percent sectoral 2020, Germany plans to use electric vehicles awaited intends to further reduce transport emissions.
The objective of the federal government is to make Germany the leading market for electric mobility, the Ministry of the Environment said in a statement of power for electric motor vehicles can be generated from a number of sources of primary energy, thus promoting independence on imported oil and gasoline prices fluctuating.
But plugging electric vehicles into the power grid does not guarantee low carbon transport Even in Germany, a world leader in renewable energy, coal plants should provide at least 40 percent of the country's electricity in 2020 A debate is now brewing in the German government on how electric vehicles can best reduce emissions.
The Ministry of Environment insists that the electricity used to recharge plug-in vehicles must be exclusively from renewable energy sources such as solar and wind power Otherwise, the increased demand for electricity from vehicles could increase overall German emissions.
But the Ministry of Economics and Technology argues that to impose strict limits on the pricing of vehicles require electricity suppliers to concentrate the production of renewable energy in areas with large shares This electric vehicles could overload the power grid and threaten the country with power outages, experts in renewable energy in the ministry.
German carmakers are considering marketing strategies that could help relieve consumers of the environmental burden can feel if they charge electric vehicles using the basic common fuels, largely fossil grid renewable energy providers in Germany usually gather Government certificates to confirm that the prices they collect for their low carbon electricity are higher than the market price for electricity standard under the proposals, car manufacturers would buy the certificate directly from renewable energy suppliers and sell certificates to consumers electric vehicles and cars.
An effective smart grid may also be necessary to ensure that electric vehicles release less emissions Some experts fear that the vehicles would derive electricity from the grid during periods of peak energy consumption and therefore needs increase electricity production of advanced grid would allow operators to control when and where electricity flows Thanks to smarter management of the network, plug-in electric vehicles could store electricity when renewable energy sources such that wind energy is abundant and feed to the grid during periods of increased demand.
Germany plans to develop a smart grid network in cooperation with its Scandinavian neighbors and the southern European research efforts are also underway in 16 municipalities to test the use of smart meters that allow the utility to monitor individual electricity use and improve efficiency the results of the first pilot projects are expected next year.
Environmentalists have criticized the new electric vehicle plan to offer no guarantee that emissions will be reduced, and the insufficiently encouraging energy efficiency.
Average emissions of carbon dioxide from new cars sold in Germany fell almost 2 percent between 2006 and 2007, according to the European Federation for Transport and Environment Improvement of the efficiency of the German fleet allowed reduce national oil consumption too, but automakers have resisted more energy efficiency standards, preventing a greater reduction in transport emissions critics say.
Sascha Müller-Kraenner, the European representative based in Berlin, The Nature Conservancy, said the German government will fight likely spend its drivers use less carbon-intensive vehicles.
The car is holy in Germany, Müller-Kraenner said it is relatively easy to regulate large producers of industrial and power, it is much more difficult to regulate private consumers.
Germany is the latest country to announce ambitious plans US President Barack Obama EVs called plug-in hybrid electric vehicles 1 million to be in service by 2015, a goal that he supported last month with the authorization 2-4000000000 dollars in federal grants for research of electric vehicles the United Kingdom announced in April that consumers would receive 5,000 pounds 7400 US subsidies for purchasing PHEVs France provided $ 550 million to subsidize development and low-carbon vehicle construction in 2008 and Spain announced in July that 1 million electric vehicles would be placed on its roads by 2014, providing grants for 15-20 percent of the cost vehicles.
Germany has not decided whether it will also offer subsidies to consumers of electric vehicles the government considers however that fund up to one third of the cost of a vehicle battery should allow competitive with their counterparts gasoline vehicles How the grant be financed remains to be determined, but the likely sources include general tax revenues or relatively high tax on gasoline in the country.
Before grants are decisions would be announced, the German government representatives and industry leaders hope to answer many questions looming.
What is at the end of battery life What will the price of the battery said Patrick Schnell, innovation and sustainable development TOTAL Deutschland, an oil company it are open questions that will no not respond until both next three years.
Daimler and BMW are planning to present their first models of electric vehicles by 2012. Volkswagen said it will roll out its first electric vehicle in 2013.
German car manufacturers and the government will also invest in vehicles hydrogen fuel cell, another alternative, which emit only hydrogen and water handset 1 A 4 billion euros from 2 billion US will be engaged in 2007 -2016, according to a Clean Energy alliance Partnership international oil and automakers companies looking to advance fuel cell vehicles.
The report of this story was made possible courtesy of funding provided by the Ministries of Foreign Affairs German and Danish.
Correction The original caption said the Mini E could lead to 175 km / h in the city and 154 kph on highways These statistics should have refered to the range of the vehicle, not the speed.
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