Overview
- Marcus Optendrenk has moved into an Audi A8 L 50 TDI Quattro as his official car, replacing a BMW i7 after the EV's lease expired.
- He previously said electric cars work in Düsseldorf but reach limits for long, tightly scheduled trips across North Rhine-Westphalia.
- Other ministers have reverted to combustion, including Building Minister Ina Scharrenbach, Science Minister Ina Brandes and Europe Minister Nathanael Liminski.
- Several cabinet members still use electric or hybrid cars, among them Mona Neubaur, Verena Schäffer, Karl-Josef Laumann, Dorothee Feller, Benjamin Limbach, Oliver Krischer and Silke Gorißen.
- Armored limousines for Minister-President Hendrik Wüst and Interior Minister Herbert Reul are combustion models, and with more leases ending the fleet remains mixed as the EU's 2035 engine ban faces German calls for exemptions.