FDP rejects SPD-proposed scrapping premium for combustion engines: "Bad recipe from the past"

FDP parliamentary group leader Dürr advocates for technology openness

Berlin - The FDP parliamentary group rejects the SPD's proposal for a scrapping premium for combustion engines. "That is a bad recipe from the past," said group leader Christian Dürr of the German Press Agency in Berlin. The SPD wants to introduce a scrapping premium of up to 10,000 euros for the purchase of a new electric car. In return, the old combustion engine car must be scrapped.

Dürr: Focus on technology openness, not individual technologies

Dürr emphasized that the focus of the transport transition must be on technology openness. "We have to make sure that we don't fixate ourselves on individual technologies, but rather enable a mix of different drive technologies - including synthetic fuels," he said. In addition, there are currently too few electric vehicles on the market and too few charging stations. "We need to create the conditions for a successful market ramp-up first."

According to Dürr, an additional scrapping premium is not necessary and would only lead to the state subsidizing new car purchases. "Instead, we need to focus on measures that promote the expansion of charging infrastructure and the production of synthetic fuels," he said.

The SPD parliamentary group had proposed the scrapping premium in May. The aim is to bring more electric vehicles onto the road faster and thus reduce CO2 emissions in the transport sector. According to a study by the Center for Automotive Research (CAR), around 10 million combustion engine cars could be taken off the road by 2030 with a scrapping premium of 10,000 euros. This would reduce CO2 emissions by around 10 million tons.

Criticism from the automobile industry

The automobile industry has criticized the SPD proposal. The German Association of the Automotive Industry (VDA) warned that a scrapping premium would distort the market and lead to a drop in new car registrations. In addition, it would not be environmentally friendly because many scrapped cars would be exported abroad and continue to drive there.