Fleet Association: "E-mobility is not market-ready on a broad scale"

The Federal Association of Fleet Management (BVF) has spoken out against the focus on electromobility in fleets and still considers the technology to be "not market-ready on a broad scale," as stated in an original communication. While the association advocates for sustainable mobility management, which can partly be implemented through electric vehicles, the industry should score with innovations, an increasingly better eco-balance, and results, the association argues. "If, for example, the 'quantum leap for the battery' announced ten years ago had happened, there would be no need to ban combustion engines or provide excessive state subsidies for electric vehicles," say the association's chairmen. 

"In a dynamic and innovative market economy, I would certainly not want to impede functioning alternatives or their further development through state interventions," BVF Managing Director Axel Schäfer also advocates for "technological openness."

The Federal Association for eMobility, which had called for a focus and concentration on the drive technology that is considered the most efficient for passenger cars by the majority of experts and many manufacturers, and thus on electromobility, is accused by the BVF of "planned economic ideas and control approaches" that only serve the representatives of the industry, according to Marc-Oliver Prinzing, chairman of the association.

"Maybe the electric vehicle product is simply not yet market-ready on a broad scale and currently doesn't meet many customer requirements," Prinzing further criticized.

The aim is to implement a traffic transition with practical mobility offerings that "have ecologically and economically sensible solutions available," as Prinzing stated.

What does that mean?

It does seem somewhat strange to demand a reversal in the middle of the transformation. And "not market-ready on a broad scale"? With Volkswagen Group's electric offensive at the latest, battery-electric mobility for passenger cars should no longer be stoppable. Not only pioneers like Tesla, but also volume manufacturers like Hyundai or Renault are introducing better models and stronger batteries or just software updates every six months. Experts have long seen the transition from a niche to a volume market as accomplished. Vehicle ranges are increasing rapidly, and the charging infrastructure is catching up; creating charging opportunities at the workplace in company fleets should gradually become standard practice.

Of course, not everything is perfect yet, but that's how it goes in the market rollout of a new technology. It is, and Volkswagen Group CEO Herbert Diess also believes, the most efficient and thus CO2-saving drive technology, which could help stop the climate crisis. Now applying the brakes again under the guise of "technological openness," as demanded by other associations in an unfortunate alliance, benefits no one, least of all the e-mobility location Germany and its jobs.

Fleet operators should urgently take the plunge, even if the beginning may be difficult. It requires goodwill and the insight that we must base our mobility on more sustainable pillars than fossil drives without further delay. From the point of view of climate science, there is simply no time left for further delaying debates about "technological openness," which should have been held long ago.

And because the "planned economy" argument is often wielded here: This accusation does not hold water at all when considering how long coal and oil have been state-supported simply because the external costs - keyword CO2 pricing - have consistently been ignored.

This is also not an ideology and not some "socialist witchcraft," but basic economics. If it had been purely "market-oriented" in the past, meaning with the real (environmental) costs of combustion engines, these would perhaps still exist only in heavy trucks, and the drive transition would have long been completed. Simply because electric vehicles would then be even more economical than they already are in certain scenarios today. It is also not unusual for the state to support new, recognized technologies - consider renewable energies. This is a massive success story initiated by red-green government initiatives, despite the hurdles still placed in the way of the energy transition.

Moreover, the fleet association people are being overtaken by reality: There are more and more "best practice" examples where e-mobility has long been scaled, and the systems are running smoothly. Indeed, this is a system change, not just a mere drive change. That there are long-distance applications, such as sales representatives with daily mileage of 700 or 800 kilometers, where a battery-electric drive is not practical and perhaps also not the most efficient choice but diesel (and not a largely misplaced plug-in hybrid!) is ultimately not disputed by anyone. Yet even here, it is only a matter of time. So don't let up now!