Company cars should drive e-mobility

In an open letter to the German government, 13 companies - among them Ikea and Aldi Süd - demand the adjustment of company car taxation. This is only one of the measures demanded, which in their opinion will accelerate e-mobility in Germany. In the letter addressed to the federal ministers, the companies declare their support for the government's ambitious climate policy goals and their willingness to actively contribute to achieving them. Only in this way could Germany not only complete the path to climate neutrality and energy independence, but - as the title of the letter reads - "become the lead market for electromobility".  

Necessary, the companies write, is the ramp-up of electromobility already in the first half of the 2020s. For it has become indisputable that around one fifth of Germany's emissions come from the transport sector, and the trend is still upwards. In their efforts to convince politicians, the companies are also appealing to other positive effects of mobility electrification. Improved air quality, innovative spirit and the creation of "jobs of the future". In the eyes of the co-signatories, electromobility offers all this.  

However, concrete transport measures should be included in the immediate climate protection programme in order to enable a complete changeover to emission-free mobility. The companies demand new depreciation options for company cars and call for an end to incentives for plug-in hybrids and internal combustion vehicles within the framework of company car taxation.  

Two out of three new cars in Germany are registered as company cars, only to end up on the market as used cars after a few years. For this reason alone, an ecological restructuring of company car taxation is essential. The more new registrations of company cars will be fully electric, the more private citizens will be able to afford a used e-car. Such demand could also be supported by the extension of the super depreciation for climate-friendly economic goods also for company cars, as stipulated in the coalition agreement.  

In addition, the companies are of the opinion that a demand-oriented expansion of the charging infrastructure is fundamental to all climate and transport policy ambitions. Specifically, this includes an adapted regulatory framework and the acceleration of the permits required for the charging network, as well as the simplification of the funding system.  

In addition, the Federal Government is called upon to do more to support the ban on internal combustion engines and not to give in to the e-fuels exemption proposed by the FDP. Really only battery-electric or hydrogen-powered new cars should be sold from 2035. 

Together with the other measure, the restructuring of company car taxation could definitely - according to the open letter - make a big contribution to the transport turnaround and to achieving the climate targets. More electric cars on the road ultimately means lower pollution levels and thus improved protection of health and the environment. On an individual level, however, there would also be advantages.  Those who drive an e-car as a company car will enjoy all the benefits of the e-licence plate. Not only will they be more environmentally friendly on the road, but they will also be allowed to drive almost anywhere, for example - even in low emission zones.  

However, if the traffic flow in the environmental zones exceeds the capacity limits of the road network concerned, or if cars with a higher pollution potential can be identified among the electric cars, tighter regulations may be necessary. A new regulatory plan that not only regulates CO2 emissions but more often looks at all possible pollutants - such as particulate matter caused by tyre wear - could be the key to greener mobility.