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Mobility Summit at the Chancellery: A Transition is More Than Just E-Cars
"First High-Level Meeting of the Strategy Platform for the Transformation of the Automotive and Mobility Industry" is the official title of the event taking place on January 10 at the invitation of Chancellor Olaf Scholz. According to the Federal Chancellery, the focus will be on the central challenge of achieving climate neutrality while maintaining value creation and employment in Germany. Even before the meeting, numerous industry associations raised their voices and demanded a mobility concept that keeps the big picture in mind.
The "Mobility Summit" convened by Chancellor Olaf Scholz is, in the view of several bicycle and transport associations, proof that the traffic transition has not yet reached the Chancellery. The fact that, according to the announcement, the meeting is supposed to be about the transformation of the mobility industry but almost exclusively invites representatives of the automotive industry is criticized by the Allianz pro Schiene, the General German Bicycle Club (ADFC), the Two-Wheeler Industry Association (ZIV), and Future Bicycle. From the perspective of the associations, this stands for a completely outdated understanding of mobility. They demand that Chancellor Olaf Scholz approach the traffic transition as a whole and make it a top priority.
The president of BEM, Bundesverband eMobilität e.V., Kurt Sigl, criticizes, "Fears about the industrial location come too late" and warns that old recipes will not help.
"But China is already here and delivering the e-cars we need for climate goals. It is high time to focus on the entire range of the German vehicle industry, from light vehicles, bicycles, and bikes to eTrucks, and to demand German jobs and environmentally friendly technology. Then there may still be a chance to become a leading market. However, politics and authorities must constructively participate, which may be doubted just based on the setup of today's summit," criticized the association's leader.
The president of the Central Association of the German Motor Vehicle Trade (ZDK), Jürgen Karpinski, meanwhile, calls for long-term stable conditions in the field of electromobility.
"The discussion about the environmental bonus has greatly unsettled customers. Anyone who wants the quick switch to e-mobility should not cut the funding for battery-electric vehicles at the moment. We need long-term reliable funding conditions and an accelerated expansion of the charging infrastructure, otherwise, customer trust will suffer," Karpinski said.
According to him, in an accelerated transition to e-vehicles, the customer perspective should be at the forefront, and politics should value the practical experiences of the medium-sized motor vehicle trade. "The motor vehicle trade is a central factor in the transformation towards CO2-neutral mobility," said the ZDK president.
Openness to Technology
ZDK managing director Kurt-Christian Scheel emphasizes the importance of openness to technology given the large number of vehicles and the various challenges surrounding the transformation—from energy costs to supply chain bottlenecks. In his opinion, the EU Commission's proposed Euro 7 emission standard will lead to significantly more expensive vehicles with internal combustion engines due to technically barely achievable requirements. At the same time, the prices for electric vehicles will not drop as expected.
"Therefore, Euro 7 should be significantly modified and, above all, a proposal should finally be on the table on how new vehicles with internal combustion engines can be approved even after 2035 if they are operated with CO2-neutral fuels. This is provided for in the coalition agreement. And this way we can meet the expectations of our customers, who want sustainable and affordable individual mobility," Scheel said.
Together with the Industry
Numerous demands are also brought forward by CSU MEP and economic policy spokesman of the EPP group in the European Parliament Markus Ferber. He criticizes what he sees as the wrong prioritization by the traffic light government.
"More than a year after his inauguration as Chancellor, Olaf Scholz is summoning the leading actors of the automotive industry to a meeting in the Chancellery," Ferber said, adding, "You don't even need to read between the lines to understand that the prioritization towards climate-neutral mobility leaves much to be desired. An automobile summit is long overdue, because the upcoming transformation can only be mastered together with the industry," he emphasized.
Clarity instead of discord and inconsistency
According to Ferber, dissent and constant disputes between Minister Wissing and Vice Chancellor Habeck have hindered the transformation of the mobility sector. On both a national and European level, the traffic light government lacks a clear strategy for the future of the transport sector.
"Instead of straightforwardness and planning certainty, vacillation and disputes are the constants of Chancellor Scholz and his team. It is time that the transformation of the transport sector is approached not with ideologies but with industrial policy foresight," Ferber warned.
This dissent was also evident in the negotiations on the internal combustion engine ban, resulting in immensely threatening job losses. "No less than 500,000 jobs are at risk due to a combustion engine ban," criticized the CSU MEP.
No One-Way Street
A political strategy is necessary that offers planning security and technological neutrality at the same time. "The automotive sector is one of Germany's and therefore the EU's key industries—if we put everything on one card here, as the Greens and Lefts demand on both a national and European level, we are playing industrial policy poker. We cannot and should not risk that lightly," Ferber demanded. He speaks of a one-way street of the traffic light government towards e-mobility and emphasizes the urgently needed expansion of comprehensive, Europe-wide, reliable, and user-friendly charging infrastructure.
"Otherwise, Chancellor Scholz's team will have driven Germany's automotive sector into industrial policy oblivion with the 'all-in' strategy," Ferber phrased.
Multimodal Mobility Demanded
Accusations of bias also came from environmental groups, albeit for different reasons. The BUND and the ecological transport association VCD, for example, see some positions and traffic routes as not being included from the outset at the mobility summit. Kerstin Haarmann, VCD's federal chairperson, even speaks of "misleading labeling." The meeting of the Chancellor to transform the automotive industry would mostly be attended by representatives from the automotive sector.
"Calling this a mobility summit is presumptuous," Haarmann states angrily. "This is like convening a sports summit and only inviting footballers. It's also not enough to garnish the event with a few representatives from science and civil society – as if they were referees; broader participation is needed to set the course for the mobility of the future," criticizes the VCD chairperson.
According to Haarmann, the future of mobility is interconnected and multimodal. It relies on public transport using buses, trains, sharing services, as well as cycling and walking. A climate-protecting traffic transition can only succeed with the inclusion of these sectors and would create many new jobs at the same time. Haarmann sees a massive need for decisions and changes: Buses and trains need priority and investment, more digitization, and faster planning in her opinion. The shift from combustion engines to electric vehicles is just one component of the traffic transition, solving some problems while simultaneously creating new ones.
BUND: Technology Alone Will Not Save Us
The BUND also expressed dissatisfaction with the setting of the mobility summit in advance. According to Antje von Broock, managing director at BUND, after the car summits of the past, a restart is necessary – and a "mobility summit that deserves the name." In light of global warming, the primary measures to be discussed are those that ensure Germany meets the sector targets for transportation set by the Federal Climate Protection Act (KSG). However, according to von Broock, these measures should not only be technical solutions for automobile transport; they must go beyond merely changing the propulsion system and also enable mobility through more walking, cycling, and public transport.
And the Railways?
Railway associations also feel sidelined by the mobility summit. The Pro-Rail Alliance sees the meeting as a sign of an outdated traffic concept. According to the association, the traffic transition has not yet reached the Chancellor's office. Although the official announcement should have been about the transformation of the mobility economy, almost exclusively representatives from the automotive sector were invited.
"What was once called a car summit has now been given a new label – but the content remains the same," complains Dirk Flege, managing director of the Pro-Rail Alliance.
He speaks of a misunderstood traffic transition and states that the Chancellor's office does not consider the transformation of the mobility economy holistically. According to Flege, the traffic transition is more than just a propulsion transition in cars. One must not look at the different modes of transportation in isolation but must keep the bigger picture in mind.
No Transition Without Bikes: Expand Traffic and Cycling Networks
Cycling associations also voiced their opinions. They call for expanding cycling networks and promoting bicycle usage. The federal government must reform traffic laws so that municipalities can quickly build bike lanes.
"The transportation sector is under pressure due to its failed CO2 reduction targets. The need for action cannot be more urgent. Promoting cycling is quick and cost-effective. It's imperative to get the most out of cycling now. More than half of all everyday trips can be done by bike, the saving potential is enormous. We can no longer afford the one-sided fiscal, economic, and transport policy focus on cars. Without us, there is no traffic transition," appealed Wasilis von Rauch, managing director of Zukunft Fahrrad, who also criticized the summit's one-sided focus with a protest tour using electric cargo bikes through the government district.
From Burkhard Stork's perspective, managing director of the Bicycle Industry Association (ZIV), the switch to electric cars and the reduction in car usage will lead to fewer jobs in the automotive industry. However, studies have long shown that modern mobility will create more jobs in the future than exist today.
"One component is the bicycle economy. Currently, stores and workshops report a need for 15,000 employees, not to mention bike production and the massively growing service sectors. But if the Chancellor only speaks with car companies, these opportunities won't come up," criticized Stork.
Rebecca Peters, federal chairperson of the ADFC, sees the "myth of car dependency" coming to an end. People are already willing to leave the car for shorter distances and choose the bike instead. However, there aren’t enough bike paths in Germany.
"The expansion of bike lanes can happen very quickly if the legal framework conditions are right. The federal government must finally reform traffic laws so municipalities can quickly build bike paths. The Chancellor must initiate this because Minister Wissing prefers to accelerate highway expansion rather than bike path expansion," demanded Peters.
And Ronald Bankowsky, founder and managing director of the platform Steig.Um.de, criticizes that according to the coalition agreement, the mobility economy should indeed be viewed as a whole.
Translated automatically from German."But the so-called mobility summit shows that this was just lip service. It's a car summit that excludes other areas of transportation. We are supposedly heard by the politicians, but it's high time to truly engage in dialogue," urges the bike ambassador.
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