Comments on: The new German government must align the Energiewende with the European Union https://energytransition.org/2017/10/its-time-align-germanys-energiewende-with-the-european-one/ The Global Energiewende Mon, 30 Oct 2017 09:47:37 +0000 hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.1.1 By: James Wimberley https://energytransition.org/2017/10/its-time-align-germanys-energiewende-with-the-european-one/#comment-6021 Wed, 18 Oct 2017 17:00:24 +0000 https://energytransition.org/?p=15907#comment-6021 Good as far as it goes. The omission is transport, reflecting a general German weakness in this crucial dimension of the energy transition. This has several causes, ranging from the salience of the car industry in the German economy and labour market to the curious blindness to the health costs of air pollution, with the autobahn high speed fetish playing a supporting role.

Germany is playing catchup here. Even the UK is ahead on electric mobility. Policy suggestions
1. Support a (largely symbolic) complete European ban on new ICE cars, buses and light commercial vehicles by 2040, and all new trucks and farm equipment by 2050. The aim is to nudge consumers and producers towards a much earlier effective transition.
2. Ban new non-hybrid diesel engines by say 2022.
3. Support city pilots of zero-emission zones, using a variety of technologies and pricing schemes, as European experiments, with cooperative benchmarking and evaluation. Include smaller towns and villages.
4. Support a European fast charging network for cars and trucks.
5. Support R&D and early deployment of electric motion power in ferries and river traffic. (SFIK nobody is working on electric inland water transport, which is important on Germany’s three navigable river basins), and R&D for aviation and long-distance shipping.

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