Car science isn’t rocket science, people

September 23, 2024 By Hermann Observer in Hard Facts, Helplessness, Home Cooking, Hurt Feelings Tags: Automobiles, Electric Cars, Employment, Germany, Industry, Subsidies, Volkswagen Leave a comment

Nobody wants Volkswagen’s electric cars.

The fewest German drivers do, anyway.

Driving on empty: The German government has few options to help an ailing car industry – Economy Minister Robert Habeck will meet with carmakers — but he has few weapons to stave off a car industry crisis.

Threats of historic job cuts and plant closures at German car giant Volkswagen and plunging earnings elsewhere in the industry are prompting Federal Economy Minister Robert Habeck to hold crisis talks on Monday.

But strained federal finances, fights with China over car tariffs and looming EU environmental regulations leave Habeck with few tools to help an industry which is the country’s economic backbone.

Green energy is fun!

July 30, 2024 By Hermann Observer in Hard Facts, Helplessness, Hideology, Home Cooking Tags: Energy, Germany, Greens, Renewable energy, Solar energy, Subsidies, Wind Energy Leave a comment

In Green Unicornland, maybe.

But in real countries like Germany where you have to pay real subsidies you can’t afford to pay anymore, that’s where the fun must eventually stop.

Germany’s Ballooning Subsidy Costs Show Challenge of Going Green – Subsidies are draining budget as green power appeal surges Shift may set tone for others contemplating cost of transition.

Germany is buckling under the weight of ballooning renewable energy subsidies, raising questions for governments across the world about how long they can afford to prop up green investments.

German of the day: Luftschloss

July 20, 2024 By Hermann Observer in Habitudes, Hard Facts, Helplessness, Hideology, Home Cooking Tags: Budgets, Energy, German, Germany, Government, Language, Renewables, Subsidies, Wind Energy Leave a comment

That means a castle in the air.

You know, a pipe dream. Like Germany’s renewable “energy turnaround” pipe dream. Only now the money has stopped coming down the pipe. Reality always sticks up its ugly little head sooner or later.

Germany Plans to Cut Renewable Subsidies as State Costs Soar – Nation to cut all payments next year when prices turn negative.

Payments will also be based on investment rather than output.

“When the government makes loans or subsidies to business, what it does is to tax successful private business in order to support unsuccessful private business.”

– Henry Hazlitt

German of the day: Lahmlegen

January 7, 2024 By Hermann Observer in Hard Facts, Helplessness, Home Cooking Tags: Budgets, Demonstrations, Farmers, German, Germany, Government, Language, Protests, Spending, Subsidies, Tractors, Waste 3 Comments

That means to paralyze.

For example: Bauernproteste legen Städte und Autobahnen lahm means farmers’ protests paralyze cities and freeways.

The week of rage – What’s in store for us tomorrow?

Starting tomorrow, farmers all over Germany will be taking to the barricades to demonstrate against the government’s (subvention-cutting) policy. Expected are highway blockades, rallies, protest camps and rallies all over the country. The farmers’ association expects “tens of thousands of tractors” to take part.

“Worried?”

January 6, 2024 By Hermann Observer in Hard Facts, Helplessness, Hideology, Home Cooking Tags: Budgets, Demonstrations, Farmers, Germany, Greens, Politicians, Protests, Spending, Subsidies Leave a comment

Worried about how heated up the atmosphere is getting?

Then why did you heat it up in the first place? Subsidies are like heroin. You don’t take heroin away from a heroin addict without expecting a reaction, do you?

Protest against German vice-chancellor shocks political class – Angry farmers attempt to stop Robert Habeck disembarking from ferry…

Deputy chancellor and economy minister Robert Habeck was on his way back from the island of Hooge on Thursday night when he faced a group of about 250-300 farmers at Schlüttsiel harbour, near the border with Denmark. They had gathered to protest against a recent government decision to slash agricultural subsidies.

“What I’m really worried about is how heated up the atmosphere in the country is becoming,” he added. “The right to protest in Germany is a precious asset. Coercion and violence destroy this asset.”

Remember The Arms Race?

November 29, 2022 By Hermann Observer in Habitudes, Hard Facts, Heconomy, Helplessness, Hideology, Home Cooking, Hurt Feelings Tags: Energy, Germany, Greens, Renewables, Subsidies Leave a comment

Now we’re in a subsidy race.

It’s a subsidize the renewable energy sector race. The rules are simple: The country that wastes the most taxpayer money on technologies that can never, under any realistic scenario, meet the electricity demands of the given country, wins. And the others turn Green with envy.

Analysis: U.S. green subsidies heighten fears for German industry – U.S. subsidies add to threats to German manufacturing base.

German Energy Price Cap Already Taking Effect

October 7, 2022 By Hermann Observer in Hard Facts, Helections, Helplessness, Hideology Tags: Dependency, Energy, Energy Crisis, Gas, Germany, Greens, Pipelines, Putin, Renewables, Subsidies Leave a comment

Whew. Thank goodness the government intervened in time.

German of the day: Energieverbrauch. That means energy consumption. And concerned Germans just can’t seem to consume enough of it these days.

Despite the German government’s calls for savings, energy consumption by citizens in Germany has not fallen. According to the Federal Network Agency, consumption by private households and smaller commercial customers last week was almost ten percent higher than in previous years.

Why Sell Cars?

September 6, 2021 By Hermann Observer in Habitudes, Hard Facts, Helplessness, Hi-tech, Hideology Tags: German, Germans, Germany, Government Subsidies, Subsidies, Tesla Leave a comment

When you can get subsidies from the German government instead.

It’s not like they’re letting you build the cars anyway.

The German government is finalizing a subsidy package that could give Tesla (TSLA) over $1 billion in government funding for its new battery factory at Gigafactory Berlin.

After announcing plans to build a large electric vehicle factory in Berlin, Tesla confirmed that the project will also include a large battery cell factory.

Germany To Subsidize Tesla

June 4, 2020 By Hermann Observer in Habitudes, Hard Facts, Heconomy, Helplessness, Hideology, Home Cooking, Humor, Hurt Feelings, Hysteria Tags: Automobile Industry, BMW, Daimer, Electric Cars, German, Germans, Germany, Government Subsidies, Government Waste, Subsidies, Tesla, VW, Waste Leave a comment

In a bold move to help the ailing German automobile industry, the German government will be spending billions of euros on subsidies for electric cars most likely manufactured by the American electric vehicle maker Tesla Inc. (Germans don’t do electric cars).

Germany raised the incentives to buy electric cars and cut the sales tax on more fuel-efficient internal combustion engines (ICE), but increased taxes on gas guzzling SUVs and sports cars which will hit the profits of the big auto makers.

„Wumms“ für Tesla und Nel. Geldregen für Wasserstoff und E-Auto – Daimler und Co stehen im Regen.

These Wind Turbines Don’t Work

January 28, 2020 By Hermann Observer in Hard Facts, Heconomy, Helplessness, Hideology, Home Cooking, Humility, Hurt Feelings Tags: Energy Costs, Energy Turnaround, German, Germans, Germany, Renewable energy, Subsidies, Wind Energy Leave a comment

German wind energy is in a crisis – “Five times the amount of wind turbines are needed.”

Like these wind turbines up there, Germany’s energy turnaround just isn’t turning around the way the smart people who planned it planned it. To turn around. Unless turning around and around in circles counts.

A mere 1078 megawatts worth of wind turbines were built last year – nearly 80 percent lower than the 2017 level.

Eine Windkraft-Leistung von gerade mal 1078 Megawatt wird im vergangenen Jahr installiert – fast 80 Prozent weniger als noch 2017.

Observing Hermann

“Was interessiert mich mein Geschwätz von gestern?”

Tag Archives: Subsidies