Munich: Only one in 40 vehicles is purely electric – Munich
E-cars are clean and quiet – and not as rare on the streets as they were a few years ago. Nevertheless, electromobility in Munich is only slowly gaining momentum. The number of purely electric cars registered in the city has risen by around 2,200 to 17,760 (as of August 10) over the past six months, and there are also 756 electric trucks. The number has increased tenfold since 2016. However, purely electric vehicles only make up around a fortieth of the total number of vehicles. Hybrid vehicles can currently still be seen to a large extent on the roads. There are around 56,000 of them.
The ranges of e-cars have improved significantly over the years. For example, BMW advertises its i4 with a range of up to 590 kilometers (under optimal conditions). In addition, the number of public charging points is increasing. Stadtwerke München (SWM) alone is currently operating around 1,200, with plans to increase this to 2,800 in the next eight years.
However, the automotive industry fears that the development of e-mobility will stall. Because federal funding, which should accelerate the drive change, will fall massively for pure electric cars from next year and will be limited to private individuals from September 2023. If you save up to 9000 euros on a purely electric car, in the future there will only be a maximum of 4500 euros. The subsidy for plug-in hybrids will expire completely at the end of this year.
The German Association of the Automotive Industry (VDA) sharply criticizes the fact that the federal government wants to save on subsidies in the future and even sees the turn to e-mobility at risk. According to an Allensbach survey, a majority of Germans still consider e-cars to be too expensive. “Instead of motivating people to switch to e-mobility, the new subsidy regulations are unsettling and even discourage purchases,” said VDA President Hildegard Müller at the end of July.
After all, there is still money from the city of Munich: In June, the city council extended its “Climate-neutral drives” funding program. From April 2023 there will again be municipal money for charging infrastructure and consulting services as well as for certain e-vehicles, which also include three- and four-wheel electric microcars. The city subsidizes their purchase with up to 3,000 euros.
The MVG currently has 24 purely electric buses in use – their number is expected to increase quickly
The Munich Transport Company (MVG) is making significant progress in electromobility on the road. Just five years ago, electric buses were not a serious alternative to diesel buses for MVG for daily scheduled operations. The range was too small, especially in winter. That’s different now. MVG currently has 24 purely electric buses in operation, ten of which are articulated buses. There are also 94 articulated buses with hybrid drives. Like the underground and trams, the electric vehicles on the road are powered by green electricity.
And next year the electric fleet will be more than doubled: MVG has ordered 14 electric buses from the manufacturer Ebusco and a further 21 from MAN. “The industry is making great progress in the development of electric buses,” says MVG boss Ingo Wortmann. A lot has happened in recent years in terms of battery performance, the efficiency of heating and cooling systems and vehicle weight. SWM and MVG want to open the new bus depot in Moosach today, where up to 56 electric buses can initially be charged. The further expansion of the charging infrastructure is already being planned. There are already charging facilities for e-buses at the bus depot in the east of Munich.
The new e-buses are designed to offer passengers more space. With a total capacity of 640 kilowatt hours thanks to nickel-manganese-cobalt batteries, they have a range of up to 250 kilometers. A modern air conditioner in addition to energy consumption compared to systems. It is heated with an electricity-saving heat pump.
“By 2035 we want to run our bus services completely electrically,” promises Wortmann. It’s a long way – and a costly one. An e-bus costs about twice as much as a diesel model. Around half a million euros will be due for a solo bus and around 800,000 for an articulated bus. 62 percent of the vehicles that have now been ordered will be managed with public subsidies. The public sector and SWM also have to dig deep into their pockets for the entire fleet. The MVG has a total of 400 buses in operation. The fleet of 268 buses from private cooperation partners will be strengthened.