EVs make speed limit on German Autobahn unnecessary

Discussion on Autobahn speed limit

Maximum speed limits on the German Autobahn have been under discussion for years, but really concrete plans to introduce a speed limit have never come to fruition. Political parties were open to discussing the issue, but a knot was never tied.

Volker Wissing

The country’s transportation minister, Volker Wissing, now made striking statements from which we can see that a bill for a speed limit on the Autobahn is not in the works for the time being.  

We are already driving slower

“Driving speed is the personal responsibility of citizens, as long as others are not endangered. The state must restrain itself here,” Wissing told German media. “High energy prices are already causing many people to drive slower. And with electric cars, people are not going to drive as fast because they want to conserve their batteries.”

Lower top speed for EVs

Wissing is part of a coalition government elected in October 2021. According to him, EVs thus make a speed limit on Autobahn unnecessary, also because the top speed of EVs is already significantly lower compared to combustion engine cars. There are always exceptions, of course, but in general an EV will not drive faster than 180 km/h. Moreover, nobody likes to drive those speeds in an EV because the driving range drops drastically.

Expanding and widening the Autobahn

Rather, Wissing favors expanding and widening highways. Not everyone in politics agrees, because expanding the road network goes against the environmental goals of the other parties in the country. But Wissing is pretty clear: “Even if not everyone likes it: there will be more traffic on German roads and we have to make do with that. Otherwise the economy will soon grind to a halt and we will lose jobs.”