12.12.2019 – Gregor Honsel
Light electric motorcycles and scooters also deserve support.
Whether it is really a good idea to promote electric cars directly remains to be seen. Perhaps the money would be better invested in the charging infrastructure. I am somewhat undecided on this issue.
But if funding is to be provided, then please do it properly: “The vehicle must be equipped with at least four wheels for passenger transportation,” says the funding guideline. Why four of all things, why not two or three? The three-wheeled classic twike is thus excluded from the promotion, as are all pedelecs, e-scooters and electric motorcycles, which together form the fastest-growing segment of electric mobility.
Now, it can rightly be argued that pedelecs and electric scooters are already popular anyway. And what is already up and running does not need any additional promotion. The same applies to heavy electric motorcycles: they are primarily used for leisure and do not necessarily need to be subsidized by the state.
But what about the segment in between? Scooters in the previous 50 to 125 cc class (L1-e, up to 45 km/h, or L3-e, up to 11 kW) are ideal vehicles for the city and surrounding areas. There are plenty of interesting models, such as the 8 kW Schwalbe, the Horwin CR6 pro or the Zero FXS. They are all on the borderline between a means of transportation and a fun device, but why should that be an argument against funding? Their purchase costs start at around 7,000 euros. You have to be able to afford it. Funding would be a good investment here.
It would be useful to take this opportunity to revise the licensing regulations. I can see no reason why the L1-e class should end at 45 km/h of all things and thus become an obstacle to traffic by definition. With at least 5 km/h more, they would be able to swim along smoothly in traffic. In return, an ABS or combined braking system could also be prescribed for the lower classes. On balance, this would probably increase safety even further.
Source: heise.de
