Scholz backs promotion of electric cars

Federal Chancellor Olaf Scholz is aiming for subsidies for electric cars manufactured in Germany. "This requires the go-ahead from the EU Commission - a Europe-wide solution would be best," the SPD politician told the "Freie Presse" newspaper.

"The purchase of electric cars cannot simply be decreed," Scholz explained. The models would have to convince consumers. However, car manufacturers are now offering more and more vehicles that are more mature and cheaper. "That makes me confident about the future of the electric car."

Scholz also made it clear that, in his view, the race for the chancellorship in the federal election on February 23 has not yet been decided. "The SPD already surprised everyone in the 2021 general election and won. I'm counting on that," he said. In a democracy, it is not pollsters who determine how the country is governed, but the citizens.