Politicians increasingly opt for eco-friendly automobiles

The German Environmental Aid (DUH) has released an evaluation of the cars used by top German politicians, revealing a lacklustre commitment to fuel-efficient vehicles.

The evaluation, which includes the cars of 11 federal ministers and 16 state prime ministers, shows that only 87 out of 238 top German politicians drive purely electric cars. Four federal ministers drive electric cars, according to the DUH, while seven use plug-in hybrids.

However, the DUH's figures are not entirely comparable with other statistics, as it assumes that plug-in hybrids are only used in combustion mode, which may not always be the case. It is unclear whether top politicians and their fleet management actually use plug-in hybrids in combustion mode.

The share of purely battery-powered official cars at the federal level, including state secretaries, has only increased slightly from 50 to 57 percent compared to the previous year. This suggests that the advancing climate crisis is not leading to a significant shift towards fuel-efficient official cars in the German federal government.

One bright spot in the evaluation is Baden-Württemberg's Minister President Winfried Kretschmann, who is the only state prime minister to drive an electric car. Chancellor Friedrich Merz's cars were not included in the evaluation due to their heavy armor.

The DUH's ranking does not include the cars of Chancellor Friedrich Merz and some other federal ministers due to their heavy armor. It is unclear whether any federal minister currently uses exclusively a diesel or gasoline (Otto) vehicle, as there is no publicly available information specifying their names.

Many of the official cars used by top German politicians emit significantly more CO2 than an average car currently registered in Germany. This is concerning, given the urgent need to reduce carbon emissions in order to combat climate change.

Each politician is listed with only one vehicle, although many have several cars at their disposal. Hamburg's Mayor Peter Tschentscher, who was previously listed with an electric car, is now listed with a plug-in hybrid.

The DUH states that there is no sign of a consistent switch to fuel-efficient official cars in the federal government, raising questions about the commitment of German political leaders to addressing the climate crisis. The evaluation does not provide information on the cars of all federal ministers and state prime ministers, leaving room for improvement in transparency and accountability.