An initiative by the the German states (Länder) to promote the sale of electric cars by establishing favourable parking regulations and exemptions of (parking) fees met with approval by the government. The government has, however, doubts as to the legal procedure proposed and announced to review the matter in cooperation with the states.
In late November 2013 the federal states proposed to amend the Road Traffic Act (Straßenverkehrsordnung – StVG) by including a new Section 6a1.
The new Section 6a1 no. 1 StVG shall authorise the Federal Ministry of Transport to enact ordinances in cooperation with the federal states favouring drivers of low-emission vehicles with regard to the stopping and parking of vehicles in the proximity of charging stations if the driving system can be charged externally with electric power.
The new Section 6a1 no. 2 StVG shall authorise the Länder to enact exemptions from fees for low-emission cars. The text does not specify the fees from which exemptions can be granted. According to the explanatory comments various exemptions are possible. “The exemptions can be unlimited or limited to a maximum parking duration. They can be restricted with regard to local specifications (defined areas or districts) or “functional” criteria (parking spaces near areas of public transport)”, the text says.
The government, who has the ambitious goal of having one million electric cars on Germany’s roads by 2020, welcomed the initiative by the Länder. In view of doubts concerning the legal implementation of the proposal, the government announced to review the matter. One was confident that a solution could be found that took the Länder proposal into consideration, the government said.
Unlike in some other countries the sale of electric cars is not promoted by direct aid. Electric cars enjoy tax relief and the government promotes certain regional electromobility projects.
According to the latest data by the Federal Motor Transport Authority (Kraftfahrt-Bundesamt), registrations of new electric cars doubled in 2013 compared to 2012, rising to 6,051. Regarding the achievability of the electromobility goal, please see a study published by Fraunhofer Institute for Systems and Innovation Research (ISI) in September 2013 (first related post below).
Source: Bundestag
Related posts:
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- BMW Launches First Pure Electric Car i3
- BDEW to Issue Identification Numbers for Electric Cars for Easy Use of Charging Stations
- Government Confirms Targets at Berlin International Electromobility Conference
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- National Electromobility Initiative Presents 3rd Report on Electromobility in Germany
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Government Wants to Work with Länder to Exempt Electric Cars from Parking Fees http://t.co/gGOVF3llIY (GER Energy Blog)
RT @EnergiewendeGER: Government Wants to Work with Länder to Exempt Electric Cars from Parking Fees http://t.co/gGOVF3llIY (GER Energy Blog)
German government Wants to Work with Länder to Exempt Electric Cars from Parking Fees http://t.co/uMEPddAwus Great idea!