Thomas Becker, Associate Director for Automotive and Mobility at Arthur D. Little, has little doubt that electric vehicles will form the future of mobility. Nevertheless, he is pessimistic about the governmental goal of 1 million electric cars on German roads by 2020. Currently Germany is far behind its own ambitions. Becker points out that other nations such as Norway, the Netherlands and China have experienced a national e-mobility boom due to lavish public subsidies and incentives. German customers are restricted by the high costs of electric cars. Lack of infrastructure and low coverage also prevent a breakthrough.
Nevertheless, Becker is optimistic that the advantages of electric cars will soon lead to an increase in urban areas. Lately private investors have started to expand the infrastructure. Even though this might also be a good marketing strategy for discounters such as Aldi, Becker still believes in their function as role models. A better public infrastructure is the key to greener mobility. Furthermore, Becker is confident that new technologies are going to improve the opportunities for electronic cars. Recently several fuel cell cars were launched that may offer advantages over longer distances because of their higher range.