Federal Environment Minister Carsten Schneider (SPD) has stated that tariffs should be applied to plug-in hybrid vehicles from China. He argued to the “Rheinische Post” (Saturday edition) that Germany needs a “Level Playing Field” with China when it comes to electric mobility and battery production, meaning fair competitive conditions. Currently, this is not the case, partly due to the significant undervaluing of the Chinese currency.
While customs duties are already in place for fully battery electric cars, the Minister insists that Chinese plug-in hybrids should be subject to comparable tariffs. Schneider, the SPD politician, declared, “We are open to the world, but not naive.” His primary objective is to maintain or rebuild Germany’s competence in vehicle manufacturing and critical technologies, such as battery production.
If Germany fails to establish its own battery value chain in the coming years, Schneider suggested exploring joint ventures with Chinese companies. He acknowledged that Chinese firms possess a substantial knowledge advantage in this sector. However, he stressed that these partners should manufacture their batteries and components in Europe, rather than simply exporting them from Asia.
