Vanessa Böttcher, Thomas Langpaul and Andreas Jölli report from Norway, the USA and Germany – on March 22nd at 9:20 p.m. on ORF 2
Vienna (OTS) – Anyone who buys an electric car as a private person in Austria can receive up to 5,000 euros in funding. And that won’t change in 2024 either. A total of almost 15 million euros will be available to promote e-mobility. If you believe different forecasts, electric cars are expected to become significantly cheaper in many countries this year, further fueling the boom. The previously comparatively high purchase price was a strong argument for many against buying an electric car. For the current issue of the ORF correspondent magazine “WeltWeit” under the title “Mobility turnaround. What is the status of the electric car boom?” Vanessa Böttcher, Thomas Langpaul and Andreas Jölli from Norway, the USA and Germany report on Friday, March 22, 2024 at 9:20 p.m. on ORF 2:
Vanessa Böttcher is traveling in Norway and looks at how the country has achieved the mobility transition. In Europe’s electric car nation, more than half of the population now drives electric. In February, over 90 percent of all newly registered vehicles were electric cars. In Oslo she meets Frederic Hauge, the well-known Norwegian environmentalist who laid the foundation for the success of e-mobility in the country in 1989. He imported the first electric car together with musician friends from the Norwegian band “a-ha”.
In the USA, enthusiasm for electric cars has cooled significantly in recent months. Manufacturers are scaling back their sales forecasts, and the Environmental Agency EPA is considering extending the deadlines for mandatory quotas of zero-emission vehicles. Thomas Langpaul is in Lordstown, Ohio, trying to figure out why the plan to build a factory for battery-powered pickup trucks didn’t go ahead. He speaks to passionate electric car drivers and those who continue to buy combustion engines out of conviction. For many Americans, price and range are particularly important issues.
In Germany, Andreas Jölli is at VW in Zwickau for an on-site inspection. It is the only VW Group plant that has been completely converted to the production of electric cars. He meets a couple near Berlin who talk in an interview about an electricity-guzzling heater in their electric car, which not only severely limits comfort but also the range in winter. In general, Germany – unlike other countries – is predicted to come to a screeching halt when it comes to electromobility this year. The reason: As of January 1st, the funding for the purchase of electric cars ceased because the government has to plug a budget hole of around 30 billion euros.