I don’t know how valid it is these days, but when I was last in Germany in 1989, I asked my much older cousin about automatic vehicles.
Conceptually he knew what they were and that Americans drove them, but aside from large commercial vehicles - and it was rare at the time even there - he had never come across a consumer vehicle with an automatic transmission in his life. Like, everything at the time was stick and three pedals on the floor. Everything. If you wanted an automatic it had to be special-ordered and shipped in at significant expense from America or something like that
Automatics used to be less efficient, they have since reached parity, long since.
German newspaper: french eat frog.
I hear more and more people in Germany saying „my next car is going to be electric“ and sales are ramping up. This starts now that the tabloid media reduced their anti-propaganda and it’s generally not a big topic anymore. People don’t feel pushed anymore and can form their own opinion by seeing others live a normal life with electric cars.
They have a deep relationship with trains too, but things are getting worse every year…
I doubt this is a majority speaking. A few people may be petrol heads and love the roaring sound of a v engine (or an underpowered r4 with a loud exhaust). Most Germans drive standard cars, where the manufacturer is trying to make the engine as writer and smooth as possible. Their real fear is that their electric car won’t take them the 1500km to their holiday destination, without any stops, with a caravan in tow, which they will do once per year.
Their real fear is that their electric car won’t take them the 1500km to their holiday destination, without any stops, with a caravan in tow, which they will do once per year.
And they can do that with fast charging and there are enough fast chargers. This fear is going to go away, as friends and family members buy EVs. The sales numbers are pretty good and prices for EVs are falling, so this is probably going to happen in a lot of cases. Especially with “cheap” German branded EVs like the VW ID.Polo and new subsidies. Germany is past the early adopter phase for EVs and in the early mass market phase already.
If you have difficulty letting go of your emotional attachment to vroom vroom, then you need to seek help
Hell,neven electrical cars are bad, they won’t be THE solution, but try explaining that to car brains
BEV sales in France are 20% of cars sold and in Germany it is 19.1% in 2025. So it is pretty similar, but Germany has had much faster growth recently, so it is very possible that this is going to change this year.
It‘s almost as if this heavily generalizing portrayal of Germans through a French lens is rather… emotional. Heh.
It’s a genre in France. Lazy stereotypes about Germans. I think Germans have many lazy stereotypes about Brazilians. Passing it on :)
As a German, many of my countrymen and -women are rather embarassing.
The article generalizes to a dangerous degree. It‘s really just an opinion piece. You can say the same thing about every single country. All you have to do is find one person who feels attached to combustion engines.
I think everyone is embarrassed by their fellow citizens
Germany has done a lot of good with green energy too, so it’s not all bad
Except for what they did with nuclear power.
Unlike what France wants us to think, nuclear power is not green. Unless you count that warm and fuzzy green glow.
The main threat here is climate change. Nuclear plants are an excellent low CO2 alternative to traditional baseline power.
We can handle the waste. We can’t handle a 3c climate change bump.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Onkalo_spent_nuclear_fuel_repository
Except we can’t handle the waste. At least not in Germany where we move it between temporary storage locations until we find a permanent one soon™️ and are shocked that due to improper storage the containers are rusting.
Can you move a 3C temperature increase to a temporary storage location?
Politically I agree it may be difficult.
We can handle the waste. We have built permanent locations.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Onkalo_spent_nuclear_fuel_repository
As for where we build locations I think a EU lead agenda modeled off the Onkalo approach would be best.
The second best would be for Germany to build its own long term storage facility under the same model at one of the several identified good locations.
You’re right about climate change. But for Germany, nuclear power is not the awnser.
- We don’t have a safe, final place to store the waste.
- We would again be dependend on other countrys, to import uranium.
- All nuclear power plants are offline and would take a lot of money to modernise / reopen them. To have a significant impact over all we would also need to build more. All of this will easily take more than 10 years.
For us, it is way more cost efficient, faster and safer to invest in solar, wind and battery’s.
I live in Germany. I don’t understand the “no space” argument. Just buy a 1km x 1km farm plot in Bayern at one of the known stable rock locations and dig down. The space is there. The footprint is small. Look at the Onkalo site. The above ground footprint is even smaller.
This being said I think long term storage should be a EU level agenda modeled after the Finnish Onkalo model with shared locations.
Germany is already dependent on importing energy sources. So importing uranium ore from Canada is no different. Except we would import from an ally. Even solar which I support requires imports. Wind less so but even then our wind turbines are only partially domestic.
As far as reopening closed plants yah. You are right. I don’t think that is easy to reopen them after such neglect. The short term answer is to buy low CO2 power from France while Germany continues its renewable path. Aka nuclear base energy by proxy.
Also german here, neighbour to the proud bavarians. Haha „just buy“ and open a site in the kingdom of Markus and the CSU? There may be a Endlager in Germany, but never in Bavaria.
The short term answer is to buy low CO2 power from France
The same France that constantly buys electricity from Germany because of constant issues with their nuclear powerplants?
You can not just dig down anywhere. You need the right kind of rock and in a formation large enough that you can dig down and be sure, that no water can ever touch the nuclear waste and transport the nuclear material to the surface. That geology is pretty rarer.
I don’t understand the “no space” argument.
It’s not about the space it takes to store the waste. It needs to be stored safely for one million years for the radiation levels to be safe again. This timeframe is also required by law. It is very unlikely, that we will ever finds such place in Germany.
Using another countrys storage will most likely come at an even higher price, because they want to make a profit on it on top.Just buy a 1km x 1km farm plot in Bayern at one of the known stable rock locations and dig down.
See argument above. And: I live in Bavaria. And no thanks, even if it would be possible to store it here, we don’t want it. I guess no one wants a nuclear waste facility anywhere near his home and I fully understand it. That’s another kinda unsolvable problem.
Germany is already dependent on importing energy sources.
Yeah, but just because things are going that way right now doesn’t mean they always have to. Quite the contrary. The Russian war clearly showed us that dependencies like these should be completely reduced as fast as possible. Why be dependent on someone, if you don’t have to.
Even solar which I support requires imports. Wind less so but even then our wind turbines are only partially domestic.
Yes, some raw materials and some parts I would guess. This is the same with nuclear. But the difference starts by operating them. We don’t need a “fuel” for solar panals or wind turbines to work.
It is still absolutely stupid to get rid of nuclear power before coal, I guess that’s what they’re talking about.
Let’s be honest here: The last nuclear plants in Germany (and most of the western world!) were build in the 70s and 80s. The last german nuclear plant was finished in 1989 and switched off in 2023 after 34 years. Every other reactor was even older. Even if other countries are running reactors that are old as fuck, that is not safe. So there was no way to keep them running into the 2030s or 2040s.
(and I know that other countries are running their old reactors and that is also not safe)
How do you know that? Are you an expert on nuclear power technology? I at least see absolutely no reason why proper maintenance wouldn’t allow reactors to work infinitely. That’s kind of the definition of “proper maintenance”.
There are several reasons: Those reactors were planned for a runtime of 30-40 years. And you can’t prolong those runtimes by “proper maintenance” due to some hard facts introduced by the radioactivity. The steel in the containment & pressure vessel will get radiation damage with time. That is something you can monitor - but the pressure vessel is the reactor and if that is damaged, you can’t simply replace it. So there is a hard limit on runtime. You might get a few years more out of them, you might be lucky, but that really is not a safe way to run a reactor.
You can take a look at what that actually means when you look at France: They have build nearly all of their reactors between 1977 and 1994 and that means that most of their reactors have reached those 40 years they were designed for. France totally failed to start building replacement reactors - Flamanville III is not enough and was extremely expensive and way late. And they need to run those reactors - if there are problems with too many reactors, they have not enough capacity. We already saw that a while ago when too many of those old reactors developed cracks. So if there is a big issue, french politics need to ensure that there is enough electricity generation. And that political pressure is something that is not compatible with a safe way of running nuclear reactors, esp. when you’re running old reactors.
Our coal usage is at an all time low and continues to decline. In fact the decline in recent years is greater than the contribution of nuclear power has ever had to our energy mix (roughly 2% per year).
Nuclear was supposed to be a stopgap until renewables and battery storage can handle 24/7. Nuclear by far produces much less CO2 than coal or gas. That matter much more in the long run.
And guess what? That time is now. It’s just politics holding us back. The technology is here.
The glow isn’t green, though, but more blue or violet. Real life is not the Simpsons.
Nuclear power isn’t (and never was) about cheap and clean power generation, but about having and maintaining a knowledge, equipment, and personnel pool for the military application of nuclear power.
Even if you have no military nuclear programme, if you have a civilian one that is set up correctly, you are within months of building yourself a workable nuclear deterrent. Politicians should simply stop lying about its purpose and it would be fine. Especially in a time where Europe needs to think hard about becoming independent from a nuclear deterrent provided by an outside country.
There is a difference between operating a technology on a comercial scale and having the capabilities to build on it. The university I went to had a reactor in one of it’s cellars. Granted, tiny compared to a comercial plant but enough to do research with and train people on.
Yes enough for research and limited training. But it doesn’t produce people nor facilities capable of handling and working with nuclear technology at any appreciable scale. In order to credibly have the ability to build nukes within half a year, you need more than a few nuclear scientists and engineers, you need a sizable trained workforce and the relevant facilities for processing and handling nuclear fuels.
Yeah, I think we should rather stick to good old clean coal tbh. Nuclear is for the deranged.
Except usage of coal has been going down steadily and is at an all time low. The amount we use coal less is bigger than the amount of electricity nuclear has ever contributed to the German electricity mix.
Bad decisions of the past don’t make bad decisions of the present any less bad. Renewables are amazing and a must, but they’re just not enough.
Renewables aren’t enough but nuclear is not the solution. Emergency gas powerplants are the only economically sound way due to their flexibility.
The concept of “base load” will likely disappear within the next 20-30 years. And without a base load, nuclear powerplants are possibly even less economical than if you were to burn paper money to generate and sell electricity.
They are. Don’t let those fossil lobbyist tell you otherwise.
Nuclear is for the people who want to take the risk and don’t care about their neighbours they contaminate as well in case of a catastrophe.
Coal is for those who love radiation more than reactors do and don’t care about anything that breathes.
Yeah, that’s why it is being phased out, duh?
I would immediately buy an electric car if i had a loading station at home… with the loading infrastructur in germany and the costs, it’s simply not viable for me.
My coworker has a home with solar on the roof and a wall box, he basicly drives for free.
I exclusively use public chargers here in Germany, it’s a 10 min walk from me. Costs me around 9 euro per 100 km. Doesn’t seem too much. Plus maintenance is cheaper.
Finding the right charging provider is a bit of a mess but makes a big difference.
I switched to an EV in 2019 whilst living in a flat. No chance to charge at home, very limited public charging opportunities, with the next public charger a 20 minute walk away and ONE fast charger on the other end of town, a 30 minute drive.
It did work despite all these issues. And now, 2026, charging is so much less of an issue. Almost every supermarket has some kind of Fast Charger available. Just look at it if it’s EnBW, MER, EWE or whatever else, pay the 5-10 Euros per month for their subscription and you’ll charge for almost the same price like home. And, as most of us go shopping at least once a week, that’s a huge nothingburger there.
Just give it a try. Maybe rent an EV is a good start. But be careful: Driving an EV is addictive. Once you’ve tasted it, you don’t want to go back
Unfortunately nowadays the quick chargers at the supermarkets are occupied most of the time, at least in my area. As I try to go shopping only once per week, this is to much of a risk for me. 5 minutes at the gas station is just easier 🙁
This! The next public charger is a 15 minute walk away, I would have to pick up the car once it has finished charging, and they are costing an arm and a leg. So it’s more comfortable and cheaper to drive a combustion car, even though I like the silence and torque of an electric car.
It’s not “emotionally hard to accept” it’s financially hard to purchase.
While I would agree, many people really do hate the idea of electric cars for no other reason than nostalgia for combustion engines. But it’s changing.
There’s more than the polar facets of EV v ICE.
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Driving EVs feel sterile and unfun, the constant haptic feedback of the gentle purring of the IC engine is like a warm hug that helps folks relax. There’s a lot of bad around internal combustion but one of the biggest draws is how sitting in a car can feel comfortable. It helps children and the tired fall asleep.
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EVs feel like the techbro solution to mobility, the dry and single serving purpose of “cleanly move the thing” without understanding the little parts of the experience that are really inviting.
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EVs also don’t have a lot of feedback when driving like a manual transmission. There is no thrill. No opportunity to thrill unless you subscribed to a service package. Fun is gated so you only get a boring transport experience.
There’s a lot of reasons that EVs aren’t appealing to a generation that can compare the old and new.
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There are definitely die-hard fans of combustion engine cars, but realistically, the majority would gladly switch if electric cars were affordable and the infrastructure was in place. However, EU imposed tariffs on Chinese electric cars while local manufacturers failed to provide accessible options.
I know plenty people that are buying new cars (not cheap ones) and are deliberately not going electric. It is not about the money for some people…
Muh big machine vroom vroom. Some people are so dumb 🤦🏻
Our electric car is currently in the shop and we got a IC one as a replacement. I can’t even express how much it annoys me to feel the car shift (at least its an automatic) and make noise when I accelerate. And that’s a quality car, so it’s muffled already.
after riding in an electric car, every IC engine sounds like a tractor
And even the high quality ones overall feel so clumsy and rattling
We really get spoiled in our EVs, ngl.
Every time I drive: “Why can’t my car be more quiet?”
Me, constantly, about everything: “Why can’t it all be more quiet?”
EVs (or at least EVs priced for mortals) have real problems as “enthusiast” cars. Don’t even think about taking one to the Nurburgring, lest it overheat, die before a single lap, and have its brakes give out.
And even if most Germans don’t drive the Nurburgring, that’s a psychological problem.
…That’s changing, though. Behold, the best ad for an EV one could possibly show a German:
I get it somewhat, just not the intensity of their emotional connection to combustion engines.
The combustion engine’s character, flaws, sounds, cancerous wonderful smells. Tuning culture. Shitbox culture. Wrenching. All of that.
But I’m not spiralling into despair because EV is the hot new thing. It’s different, yes, but keep an open mind and you’ll age slower in the head. You can take EV battery safety courses and learn to wrench on them. Tuner and shitbox EV culture is already thriving on YouTube. People will learn EV have character too. The loud fart sounds shall be missed (many of you won’t of course lol) but oh well it’s not that big a deal.
My next commuter is going to be used EV. I am lucky to have a garage, so my big shitty V8 1994 Chevy trugg will continue doing the occasional dirty job until I can’t buy gas at a reasonable price any longer or it’s illegal to operate. I keep it nice minus the bed, so if I live long enough maybe I DIY EV swap it 👹.
That’s very endearing, Germany. Now be big boys and rip off the bandaid. You’ve been through worse.
