DVF Podium Mobility Transition: Right Direction, More Speed

DVF President Prof. Dr.-Ing. Raimund Klinkner emphasized at the annual kick-off event of the German Mobility Association that the coalition agreement provides a solid foundation for the transportation industry. However, the DVF points out that the competitiveness of the location, the achievement of climate targets, and public acceptance depend on the speed of implementation.

Klinkner: "Transport and logistics are key sectors to achieving climate targets and to ensuring that Germany remains a livable and attractive location. The coalition agreement addresses the right issues. Now we need a concerted effort to implement it. This primarily means more speed through brisk planning and approval processes, sufficient skilled personnel in administration, planning offices, and construction, as well as stronger digitalization of processes. And we need solid financing for this transformation over the next decades, for example through funds based on the Swiss model."

The new Parliamentary State Secretary to the Federal Minister for Digital and Transport, Daniela Kluckert MdB, also urged for more speed. She outlined her goals for the first year of government as follows:

"The construction sites in mobility and digitalization are large. We need more speed in infrastructure expansion - therefore we must modernize, debureaucratize, and digitalize approval processes. From decision-making to planning to implementation, we must become faster. This way, we can eliminate the white spots, ignite the fiber optic turbo, and significantly accelerate the expansion of fast-charging infrastructure."

Additionally, mobility, digital, and energy should be more closely linked, as the DVF President previously demanded.

"We in the traffic light coalition are in agreement on this. I am convinced that a modern state with debureaucratized and digitalized processes can ensure this integration. The new departmental structure of the BMDV will certainly also be useful: coordination paths will become shorter."

Detlef Müller MdB, deputy chairman of the SPD parliamentary group in the German Bundestag, was particularly passionate about rail and public transport. He therefore saw accelerating infrastructure measures as central in the first year to achieve the ambitious climate and transport policy goals.

"In recent years, the SPD has clearly committed to an increased expansion of rail infrastructure and public transport. We will continue on this path and advocate for strengthening investments in measures to achieve climate policy goals. To this end, we will primarily invest more in new and expanded rail infrastructure and also significantly strengthen local transport."

Berthold Huber, Board Member for Passenger Transport at Deutsche Bahn AG, welcomed this commitment: With the new coalition agreement, climate-friendly rail transport is gaining further momentum.

"Everyone agrees that we need to significantly accelerate planning and construction in Germany. This is urgently needed - also with a view to the Deutschland-Takt - because climate change does not wait. Therefore, I am also pleased that the traffic light coalition wants to accelerate the introduction of Digital Automated Coupling for freight transport and promote KV terminals and rail connections. We at DB are more convinced than ever: The trend towards rail, as we experienced before the pandemic, will continue after the Corona pandemic. For this reason, we continue to invest at a record level."

Sevenfold Speed Needed for Charging Station Expansion

Hildegard Müller, DVF Presidium member, President of the German Association of the Automotive Industry (VDA), clearly outlined the demands to the government: "The coalition government's plans for accelerated planning are ambitious – what is crucial now is rapid implementation. If the federal government wants to achieve its goal of up to 15 million fully electric vehicles and one million charging points by 2030, Germany must significantly speed up the expansion of the e-charging infrastructure, installing around 2000 charging points weekly instead of 300. In plain language: Sevenfold speed!"

Additionally, policy must provide suitable incentives for the ramp-up of hydrogen and e-fuels. The EU Commission's proposals for the Renewable Energy Directive are going in the right direction, but they need further enhancements. Tax incentives should provide additional motivation. An honest assessment is necessary: Without e-fuels, which help particularly to reduce the CO₂-emissions of the existing vehicle fleet, the climate protection goals in the transport sector will not be achieved.

Competitive Neutral Framework for SAF Quotas

Alternative drives and fuels also play an important role in air transport. All industry players are determined to use sustainable aviation fuels as quickly as possible and make air transport CO₂-neutral, emphasized Dr. Stefan Schulte, DVF Presidium member, CEO of Fraport AG.

He welcomed the clear statement in the coalition agreement of the new federal government that a competitive neutral framework is necessary for this: "The market availability of Sustainable Aviation Fuels (SAF) will inevitably be limited, thus constituting the central bottleneck. Only from 2030 onwards can production volumes be expected that enable a relevant blending quota with conventional fuels – but not at competitive costs."

Schulte vehemently rejected a kerosene tax proposed by the European Commission: "This would only lead to the relocation of greenhouse gas emissions, the so-called Carbon Leakage." What is necessary is a uniform CO₂ pricing that does not unilaterally disadvantage the German and European aviation industries compared to their international competitors.

Eliminate Market Distortion

In the discussion about faster construction, all participants agreed that planning and approval procedures need to be further accelerated. Member of the Bundestag Müller emphasized that the acceleration of planning and approval processes has not without reason received a very prominent place in the coalition agreement.

"To achieve our climate and transport policy goals for the 2030s, we need more investments that are implemented faster to have the desired effect. This applies to the expansion of transport infrastructure, the expansion of digital networks, and also to the expansion of network capacities and renewable energies."

The new federal government should significantly shorten approval procedures so that, for example, hinterland connections can be consistently and quickly expanded, demanded Frank Dreeke, member of the DVF presidium, and chairman of the board of BLG Logistics Group AG & Co. KG.

"We also need fair competition in Europe and inequalities like the import turnover tax procedure must be eliminated. We need further investments in future topics such as digitalization, automation, and hydrogen, e.g., through research initiatives like IHATEC for innovative port technologies."