Max Gruenig, Senior Fellow at Ecologic Institute, discussed during the "Congres des Collectivites Electromobiles" in Lille the situation of electric cars in Germany.

Key messages of his presentation were:

• Emobility in Germany is still rather an issue of research and development rather than sales and use.
• Research projects are manifold and cover all aspects, including safety.
• Only a mere 36% of new car sales in Germany are done by individuals, the remainder going to businesses, associations and public administration etc - bringing up the question whether the consumer should be the first target for promoting electric cars.
• In a model run with 720 scenarios, the full cost of ownership of electric vehicles are not cost-competitive compared to conventional vehicles from a consumer perspective.
• The costs of driving a diesel car are still the lowest in all scenarios.
• The best support mechanisms are those which target the sales price, since consumers are 'blind' with regards to future savings.
• Since technology evolves over time, this adds uncertainty to the cost modeling.
• Costs are not the only relevant factor: size, safety and comfort are also important.