The Prime Minister of the German state of Lower Saxony, Olaf Lies, has called for government support to be provided for the purchase of used electric cars. The politician from the Social Democratic Party said in an interview with the German press agency dpa: «We must focus on supporting modern used electric cars,» adding that granting incentives for new electric cars will, in turn, boost the Chinese market if there are no requirements for a European manufacturing share, as evidenced by the experience of France. Lies proposed that the support should focus on used rental cars that are no more than two or three years old and have covered only short distances, explaining that this step will allow more people to buy electric cars at affordable prices, will increase the residual value of used vehicles, which will make lease contracts for new cars cheaper, and will also benefit European companies, since most used electric cars on the market are of European manufacture. The German government agreed last November on a program to support the purchase of electric cars for low- and middle-income families, which includes support for purchasing or leasing purely electric or plug-in hybrid cars. According to the German Ministry of the Environment, the first phase of the program targets new cars, while the second phase will include proposals to support used cars.
