Austria

Major Developments in 2020

Fleet of alternative drive train vehicles shows a significant increase

In 2020, 19.0 % fewer new motor vehicles were registered than in 2019. The number of Battery Electric Vehicles (BEVs) increased by 50.8 %. The share of BEVs and Plug-In Hybrid Electric Vehicle (PHEVs) for all new registered passenger cars rose from 3.47 % to 9.50 %. The growth trajectory of natural gas and hydrogen powered vehicles remained constant. Although growth rates indicate an increasing consumer acceptance of alternative drive train vehicles, their contribution to GHG emissions reductions remains low with an overall M1 fleet share of 1.18%.

New policies, legislation, incentives, funding, research, and taxation

Austria offers a broad set of supporting measures to support e-mobility uptake such as purchase subsidies, registration tax benefits ownership tax benefits, company tax benefits, VAT benefits, infrastructure incentives and free parking. Austria co-operates with the European Alternative Fuels Observatoryi (EAFO), where an overview of the Austrian support measures are available.

Research and Innovation - Austrian National Battery Initiative and M-ERA.NET Activities

The development and production of battery cells, modules and packs and electric vehicles are of utmost importance for Austria due to its strong automotive supply industry. Hence, the Federal Ministry for Climate Action, Environment, Energy, Mobility, Innovation and Technology (BMK)ii set up the Austrian National Battery Initiativeiii in close cooperation with industry and research. The initiative covers the whole value chain from raw materials to the production of battery cells and their integration in the vehicle. This initiative also takes into account battery recycling, sustainability in energy, battery production and efficient industry 4.0 processes. Until the end of 2020 three battery calls have been published.

Economy - Important Project of Common European Interest (IPCEI)

Austria joined forces with Belgium, Croatia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Poland, Slovakia, Spain and Sweden in setting up the “European Battery Innovation (EuBatIn)” IPCEI. The project covers the entire battery value chain from extraction of raw materials, design and manufacturing of battery cells and packs, and recycling and disposal with a strong focus on sustainability. Six Austrian partners will contribute their expertise to establish a sustainable battery cell production in Europe.

Outlook

Austria’s ambitious goal to become carbon neutral by 2040 and seek concerted activities in all sectors. The transport sector requires novel approaches to reach carbon neutrality. Therefore, Austria is preparing a Mobility Master Plan, which will lay out a defined roadmap to climate neutrality in 2040. The mobility sector will seek to identify ways to avoid traffic, by shift private vehicle traffic to public transport and active travel, and increasing energy efficiency and replacing fossil fuels with renewable energy sources. New solutions from research, technology, and innovation need to be brought swiftly to market for achieving the mobility-related climate targets.

International co-operation and learning from each other’s experiences is key. The Technology Collaboration Programme is an international expert forum, where Austrian representatives actively participate and benefit. Austria is keen on continuing its previous activities such as the LCA Task in the framework of the HEV TCP.