Germany too considering a ban on petrol and diesel cars

Following on the news of France and England banning the sale of conventionally powered cars by 2040, German Chancellor Angela Merkel hinted at an eventual ban of the same in Germany. While the exact timelines have not been revealed, she said that the auto industry must correct the mistakes they made - hinting at the emissions scandal.

The automobile industry is an important contributor to the German economy and an export earner. Volkswagen, the world's largest automaker (in terms of sales) and other leading companies like Mercedes, BMW, Porsche are all Germany based.

Just this month, the German Government and automakers agreed to modify engine software on over 5.3 million diesel vehicles to reduce their emissions. Germany has also set a target of reducing CO2 levels significantly (over 85-90% of current levels) by 2050. While pollution from vehicles may not be a large contributor, the German government is facing rising pressure to take measures to curb air pollution.

All these steps are taken in an effort to repair the damage caused by VW's emission scandal over 2 years ago. The future of the German auto industry - which provides over 8,00,000 jobs - has become a topic of debate due to all the recalls and the future ban on conventional powered cars. Chancellor Merkel has assured the employees that it is important to preserve the jobs and maintain the industry's strength.
 
While the contribution of the automobile industry is significant to the German economy, they have been relatively slow to adopt the electric technology.

Source - Reuters