We Germans have become a hysterical people. We may always smile at the Americans, but the fact is that Germans all too easily overstep the mark.
Electromobility
Electromobility had a brilliant future as long as the Merkel government was in power. The subsidies were lavish. Nevertheless, the one million electric vehicles Ms. Merkel had announced in 2013 were not achieved by 2020.
Admittedly, that was pure crystal ball reading. But “Mutti” still stuck to this target in 2019. It still turned out differently. The one million mark was only exceeded late, at the end of 2023.
Planning security is everything
However, German OEMs at least had planning security during the Merkel administration. That all changed in 2024. The traffic light government is about to drive the economy into the wall with full force – unfortunately, that has to be said in the meantime. Planning security is being confused with a planned economy.
The industry is moving away
Until now, deindustrialization was just a buzzword used by the “swearers”. People made fun of the notorious naysayers. Unfortunately, this can no longer be sustained. A few names:
Esprit, Vaillant, Ruhrchemie, Infineon, Alstom, Motherson, Heubacher Group, Ronal, Gienanth, Dormakaba, Brandstätter/Playmobil, Sachsen-Guss, Franken-Guss, AMS-Osram, Deutsche Edelstahlwerke, Heubacher Group, Hülsta, Sartorius, Continental, 3M, Tadano, Daimler Truck, Flender, Danish Crown, Grundfos, Evonik, Tesla, Santander, Nürnberger, Süddeutsche Zeitung, Illig, Depot, Vodafone, Marelli, SKF, TDK Heidenheim, Bertelsmann, DBCargo, Michelin, Webasto, Zalando, BP, Evonic, Eissmann, BSH, NewWork/Xing, DPD, BASF, Landliebe, ThyssenKrupp Hella, BodyShop, Venator, Magna, Hypovereinsbank, SOliver, DeutscheBank. Ritzenhoff, ZF, Conti Tech, Mercedes, Bayer, Viessmann, Bosch, Galeria, Signa, Vionfood, Meyerburger, Miele, Brose, VW Wintershall, SofwareAG, Sap, Arko, Hussel, Eilles, TSystems, Unilever, Kärcher … All of these companies have cut jobs in recent months or announced that they are leaving Germany in favor of other locations in the EU or elsewhere.
The high job losses in former key industries go hand in hand with a loss of tax revenue. The causes are always the same: high energy prices and excessive bureaucracy. Both problems can hardly be solved in the next few years – especially not by the current administration, which does not even want to acknowledge the causes.
The effects
The effects are corresponding. Although many people are still interested in electromobility, disillusionment is spreading with regard to costs (energy) and convenience (charging infrastructure & charging). TCO or not. People prefer to switch to cheaper and more convenient transportation alternatives.
The train?
Rather not. Their unpunctuality, coupled with the absence of pleasant travel, has led itself ad absurdum.
People are keeping their vehicles longer (even electric drivers, as the price of used electric cars is in free fall – supply and demand). And pragmatism dominates when it comes to new purchases: if electric, then hybrids are better.
In April, the increase in PHEVs in Germany was +28.4% compared to the previous year. The decline in pure electric vehicles was -0.2 %. In the rest of Europe, on the other hand, electromobility grew by 14.8%. This trend can also be observed in other countries and regions. In North America, in particular, the PHEV share is currently growing disproportionately.
What lessons can be learned from this?
If a technology does not establish itself and depends on subsidies, something is wrong with it and/or the framework conditions. You only have to look at other European countries, such as France, Norway, or the UK. Their clever subsidy policies have ensured sustained growth in electromobility.
Germany is in the process of cementing gigantic mistakes in both energy and economic policy. In addition, the bureaucratic hurdles for many things are actually being increased instead of being reduced.
Not good conditions for the coming years.
