RAI Association sheds its light on the plans that the government unveiled during Prinsjesdag. The trade association wants the cabinet to actually release more money to green the vehicle fleet.
Anyone who was eagerly looking forward to the ‘Third Tuesday of September’ in the field of cars might have been a bit disappointed. In the field of cars, the cabinet is only introducing minor and limited interventions. According to RAI Association, the cabinet is taking an important step towards strengthening the economy with planned additional investments in mobility, but according to chairman Steven van Eijck, more is needed. In addition to investments in infrastructure, measures must also be taken to lower the threshold for certain modes of transport. “For the time being, supply and demand do not sufficiently match that point.”
Greening
The RAI Association therefore wants to draw extra attention to the cabinet on three different main points. Firstly, the association wants the cabinet to make access to cleaner and more economical road transport more attractive. For example, RAI is arguing for more budget for the private purchase subsidy for new electric cars, it wants to stimulate the greening of the vehicle fleet by also stimulating efficient (plug-in) hybrids with a purchase subsidy and, more broadly, for new electric delivery vans.
Two-wheelers
As a second main point, RAI wants the cabinet to encourage the switch to the ‘two-wheeler’. It hopes that the driving license requirements for 125 cc motorcycles can be lowered and that the motorcycle industry will have access to the ‘Compensation Fixed Costs’ scheme as soon as possible. This sector is the only one to be excluded from this regulation without valid reason. RAI is also targeting the current lease scheme for bicycles to make it more accessible by simplifying the administrative burden.
R&D
The final point of attention for mobility has to do with innovations and investments in R&D. “Innovations and R&D are the key to economic recovery,” said the association. It is hoped that there will be room in the third corona support package to keep up innovations and to support Dutch companies that are active in the field of R&D in mobility.