Opinion Shift: Transport Minister Wissing Advises Against Buying Combustion Engine Cars

After a good month in office and initial irritations about statements regarding a potential fuel price compensation, which earned the new Transport Minister the accusation of being an "advocate for drivers," FDP politician Volker Wissing has hinted at a turnaround. Speaking to the medium "Tagesspiegel Background" ahead of his first Bundestag appearance, the former Secretary-General of the party stated:

"We need to use the various energy carriers where they are most efficient. For passenger cars, that's the electric drive."

In doing so, he effectively dismissed the statements made in the coalition agreement about the use of e-fuels in cars, which would allow them to run longer on internal combustion engines. The coalition agreement literally states:

"Outside the existing system of fleet emission standards we advocate that only vehicles proven to be refueled exclusively with e-fuels can be newly registered."

The statement is internally flawed, as e-fuels are chemically almost identical to fossil fuels and therefore any vehicle would be suitable for refueling. Apparently, Wissing, who is known as a meticulous, factual, and decisive politician with principles, has been better advised by his experts and is now aligned with the Green coalition partners, but also with the vast majority of all transport and mobility experts.

"For the foreseeable future, we will not have enough e-fuels to run the passenger cars with internal combustion engines currently in use," Wissing noted.

However, he qualified before the Bundestag: E-fuels are a building block, also for cars, and every contribution to CO2 reduction is important. Mobility must therefore continue to be developed "tech-neutral" in the future, and one cannot rely on a single drive system. Nonetheless, e-fuels will be primarily needed for aviation. The Minister also linked his statements with a warning to consumers against continuing to rely on internal combustion engines.

"The use of fossil fuels will become more expensive in the future. That's why I can only advise switching to CO2-neutral drives."

He promised to ensure that charging with renewable electricity remains affordable.

"If you look at EU regulation, you can see that the decision for e-mobility has long been made. If we push this transition, we can achieve our climate goals," the Minister remarked soberly, making a complete paradigm shift from his predecessor, Andreas Scheuer (CSU), who had always advocated for so-called "technology openness," like FDP party leader Christian Lindner.

The coalition has set the goal of bringing 15 million electric cars onto the roads by 2030. For this, Wissing demanded significant changes. He also sees it as the task of the German automotive industry to convince the population.

"Tesla has succeeded in inspiring many buyers with its models, and I would like to see the same for German car manufacturers," the Minister formulated indirect criticism.

Among automakers, Porsche is mainly relying on e-fuels to keep its iconic 911 model running. BMW has also recently spoken out in favor of e-fuels, stating that there is "absolutely no alternative to e-fuels" for the existing fleet, according to BMW CEO Oliver Zipse. The Volkswagen Group, in contrast, whose CEO Herbert Diess clearly favors battery-electric drives as the most efficient and climate-friendly solution, admitted that they continue to work on e-fuels and fuel cells within the VW Group. "For road transport, however, it's nonsense on a broad scale," Diess reiterated his long-held opinion. Even the premium competitor Daimler has now completely switched to battery-electric drives, ending the chapter of fuel cells for passenger cars and only relying on hydrogen in the recently independent truck division. 

Speed Limit 30: Municipalities Should Decide for Themselves

On the controversial issue of a speed limit of 30 km/h in municipalities, the Minister took a "hybrid" position. He wants to give cities and towns more freedom to shape the traffic transition, which has been difficult for them so far regarding speed limits.

"The municipalities on-site know best what is good for their residents," he revealed a pragmatic attitude.

However, he himself is not convinced that a blanket speed limit of 30 km/h in urban areas makes sense, especially on main roads. Municipalities could use the flexibility to make cycling and walking safer or reduce noise. The alliance of cities for a 30 km/h speed limit, founded in July, has now grown to 70 municipalities. However, Wissing is clearly against a city toll.

"I don't think much of additional burdens through instruments like a city toll: Mobility must remain an affordable offer for everyone," Wissing demanded.

As a digital minister, he is relying on more efficient use of data in traffic, such as construction site warnings that should be fed into vehicle navigation systems via the cloud.

What Does This Mean?

When was the last time this happened? Evidence and not wish-based policy in the Ministry of Transport, which under Wissing's predecessor Andreas Scheuer (CSU), with his erratic course, was considered more of a "mystery" by most experts. Even though the new FDP minister backtracked a bit before the Bundestag, his fundamental statement is out there, and when a transport minister advises against buying a combustion engine, that is clear. That the statement comes from an FDP man, however, surprises most contemporaries.

It shows that Wissing, true to his reputation as a pragmatic and fact-based, but also principled politician, frees himself from lobby interests and misinformation, and aligns his policy clearly with one goal: to make traffic climate-neutral by 2045.

The backlog left by his predecessor, who was more rooted in the wishful thinking of the 1980s and a "fossil" full-throttle politician in the truest sense of the word, is enormous, according to the most recent climate inventory by Economy Minister Habeck. Scheuer always did just the bare minimum, distributing funds according to the watering can principle: a little bit of everything. That hasn't been enough for a long time. Clear guidance and focus are needed.

Wissing knows that he has to start immediately—with all means necessary. His call to refrain from buying a combustion engine in 2021 fits with the rapidly growing offer of also purely electric vehicles from manufacturers, which, thanks to premiums, have become affordable for the average buyer who spends around 36,000 euros on a new car. Moreover, the supply of used electric vehicles is increasing, as are the opportunities to use e-car sharing.

The time for excuses is over. Wissing has made that clear now. And at the same time, he has called on the industry to no longer treat the electric drive "hybrid" and half-heartedly but to prioritize it. For this, he deserves the highest respect!