German officials increasingly use high-emission official vehicles

A study by Deutsche Umwelthilfe (DUH) reveals that German politicians are increasingly opting for official vehicles with internal combustion engines or plug-in hybrids rather than fully electric models. According to the 20th edition of the DUH study, 160 out of 249 official vehicles exceed European CO2 emission limits based on actual usage.

Plug-in hybrids represent a significant portion of the fleet, accounting for 42 percent of official vehicles. These models often emit nearly three times more CO2 than fully electric vehicles because only about 11 percent of their trips are conducted in electric mode. In contrast, fully electric official vehicles emit an average of 62 grams of CO2 per kilometer, while plug-in hybrids average 179 grams.

The share of fully electric vehicles in the official fleet has decreased to 36 percent. High emission rates were noted among several federal ministers and state premiers, with some vehicles emitting up to 262 grams of CO2 per kilometer.