German media: German Finance Minister criticizes German railways for ordering Chinese electric buses
According to the German Broadcasting Union and the T-Online website: German Federal Minister of Finance Lars Klingbeil criticized the German railways for ordering electric buses made in China. He called for "healthy domestic industrial patriotism."
The chairman of the Social Democratic Party (SPD) and vice chancellor told the newspaper Neue Osnabrücker Zeitung that while the Deutsche Bahn Group placed a large order with German manufacturer MAN, it also ordered 200 electric buses from Chinese manufacturer BYD. He said, "This makes me angry." He expressed his hope for a "healthy domestic industrial patriotism."
Klingbeil explained that "healthy domestic industrial patriotism" means that orders should be given to German or European manufacturers when conditions allow. He pointed out that there are already "performance-qualified electric buses" in operation in German cities, such as those produced by Mercedes or MAN.
About a week ago, Deutsche Bahn announced its largest bus procurement plan in company history. The state-owned group plans to purchase 3,300 hybrid or fully electric buses, which are expected to be delivered between 2027 and 2032. The total value of the order exceeds 1 billion euros. Among these, 200 electric intercity buses will come from BYD. According to the company, these vehicles will be manufactured at BYD's factory in Hungary.
Klingbeil also linked his criticism of Deutsche Bahn to his overall stance on electric mobility. Regarding discussions about possible relaxation of the ban on internal combustion engine vehicles in the EU, he warned German car manufacturers not to misinterpret signals from Brussels. "If they now think they can still rely on diesel and gasoline cars for a long time, they will face even greater difficulties in a few years." The process of transitioning to electric vehicles must "continue at high speed." "The future of transportation is electrified."
He mentioned his personal experiences in China. In cities like Beijing and Shanghai, he saw "China has moved much further ahead in this area," which is also due to strong national support for the transition. From this, his conclusion about the German industry was: "Our automobile manufacturers still have room to catch up." At the same time, he emphasized that climate protection and employment are not necessarily opposing goals if practical solutions are found.
The background of this debate is the adjustment of the European Commission's policy on car carbon dioxide emission limits. Initially, EU member states and the European Parliament had reached an agreement: starting in 2035, new registered cars must no longer emit harmful carbon dioxide. However, under the push of countries such as Germany, the EU plans to relax regulations on internal combustion engine vehicles. Under certain conditions, vehicles equipped with internal combustion engines may still be allowed on the road after that.
Source: rfi
Original: toutiao.com/article/1852165934137354/
Statement: This article represents the views of the author alone.