A new US American spending bill includes the retroactive extension of tax credits for home EV charger installation, electric motorcycles, and fuel-cell vehicles. Previously, the credits had been extended through 2017, and have now been extended to 2020.

At the UN Climate Change Conference (COP25) in Madrid, the Global Environment Facility (GEF) has launched the ‘Global E-Mobility Program’ to help 17 developing countries initiate the use of electric vehicles on a large scale.

California is joining with seven other US American states to develop an action plan to put “hundreds of thousands” more emissions-free trucks and buses on roads and highways. The California Air Resources Board announced the initiative.

The European Commission has now approved funding totalling 3.2 billion euros for pan-European research and innovation projects by seven Member States in all segments of the battery value chain. Among others, Opel and BMW will benefit from the funds.

In August 2019, 6,672 electric vehicles drove on Polish roads, with a share of just 0.2%, Poland is at the bottom of the league in Central Eastern Europe. Nevertheless, or precisely because of this, the Polish government has set itself ambitious targets for e-mobility. But the new funding programme is controversial, as Aleksandra Fedorska reports.

The “Zero Emissions Roadmap 2028 2.0” for the Los Angeles area has just been presented. It outlines the way the city aims to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and air pollution by 25% by the 2028 Olympic Games. E-mobility plays an essential role.

The Slovak Ministry of Economy is starting a new round of subsidies for electrified vehicles in order to encourage individuals, businesses and government agencies to purchase electric vehicles. A total of 5 million euros has been earmarked for the programme.

The Federal Transit Administration (FTA) is awarding grants for bus projects in the USA again. A total of 423 million dollars for 94 projects in 42 states – including many projects with electric buses and charging infrastructure.

The new European CO2 legislation for passenger cars and light commercial vehicles obliges the EU Commission to monitor real fuel and electrical energy consumption from next year onwards. This was pointed out by the ICCT.

California’s subsidies for electric cars and plug-in hybrids will change this December. Only electric vehicles up to a price of USD 60,000 will be eligible for the grant, except hydrogen cars. But this is not the only change.

The Chinese Ministry of Industry has now published detailed guidelines for setting up recycling facilities for batteries of electric cars. The new regulations are likely to pose major challenges for some electric car manufacturers.

The German government has passed the proposed law for the promotion of electromobility and the amendment of further tax regulations. Among other things, this concerns the taxation of electric company cars and the tax exemption for charging cars free of charge at the workplace.

At the “car summit” held at the Chancellery in Berlin, the German federal government and industry representatives have agreed on measures to boost electric cars sales. Purchase premiums and the number of charging stations will increase, while some questions remain unanswered.

The Catalan regional government is about to introduce a carbon tax on cars, vans and motorcycles. Catalonia will thus be the first region in Spain to ask owners of climate-harming vehicles to pay. Taxation is to come in retroactively for 2019 already.

The Bristol City Council has proposed a ban for all diesel vehicles from their city centre, as well as a new congestion charge zone for older commercial vehicles by 2021. This would make the city the first in the UK with an outright ban on diesel.

The Brussels regional government in Belgium is banning diesel vehicles from 2030 and petrol vehicles from 2035. Meanwhile, the Flemish Region of Belgium has announced that it will discontinue its subsidy programme for electric vehicles from January 2020.

Chuck Schumer, the Democratic leader of the U.S. Senate faction, has presented a $454BN ten-year plan to get combustion vehicles off the country’s roads and to aid the US manufacture and sale of electric vehicles.

The British government has launched an official consultation on the introduction of green number plates for electric cars. This should make it easier for local authorities to issue special regulations for electric cars.

The Federal Ministry of Transport is supporting hydrogen mobility with a further 23.5 million euros as part of the National Innovation Programme Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Technology (NIP).

The European Commission has opened an investigation against Hungary to assess whether Hungary’s plans to grant €108 million in subsidies to Samsung SDI for the expansion of its battery cell production plant in Göd follow EU rules on regional state aid.

By the year 2030, every third new car in South Korea is to be battery-powered or running on hydrogen. The government has now officially issued this target. Politicians also believe that companies must facilitate this too.

The Chinese government wants to end state subsidies for fuel cell vehicles by the end of next year, according to the Ministry of Finance.

The European Automobile Manufacturers’ Association, Hydrogen Europe and the International Road Transport Union are jointly calling on European policymakers to ramp up investments in EU-wide hydrogen refuelling infrastructure for fuel cell vehicles.

The German government has now approved the country’s 2030 climate plan, first outlaid during the global climate strike initiated by the Fridays for Future movement. Activists call the package weak, yet it carries over measures for e-mobility at least.

Ireland is reshaping its EV measures. Subsidies and some funds have been discontinued, while others have been extended or created. More funds have been allocated for electric vehicle purchase and charging infrastructure, and requirements on charging provisions in new buildings have been added.

Denmark called on the EU Commission to introduce an EU-wide ban on diesel and petrol cars by 2040 preceded by a phase-out from 2030 in its climate strategy. Ten other European Union countries backed the proposal Denmark made during a meeting of EU environment ministers in Luxembourg.

The British Labour party, currently in opposition, is taking a stand on electric mobility for the new elections that are likely to take place soon in the wake of Brexit chaos. In the event of an election victory, Labour wants to massively promote the purchase of electric cars with a series of measures.

California and 22 other US states have now filed lawsuits against the Trump administration, who is trying to deny them the right to set their own – higher – emissions standards. California’s Governor Gavin Newsom has also just signed two laws to tighten emission standards for trucks and other vehicles.

As controversial as Germany’s latest climate protection package may be, for e-mobility a golden age is dawning. After all, its promotion is at the heart of efforts to reduce emissions from the transport sector. An overview.

US-President Donald Trump wants to deny California the right to set its environmental standards for cars. Following reports last year, Trump has now announced this himself via Twitter.