The Far Right Against Elon Musk? How Germany’s AfD Mobilizes Against Electric Car Production

This article analyses how the far right mobilizes against e-mobility by focusing on the case of the Alternative for Germany (AfD) in the automobile stronghold of Germany. In the emerging literature on far-right climate obstruction, the issue of e-cars has largely been overlooked. Our analysis makes four key contributions: First, we show that the AfD’s stance on e-mobility has changed over time, becoming increasingly critical. Although the party made some positive statements in its early years, it now opposes electric cars and defends the traditional automotive sector. Second, we identify the central themes in the AfD’s criticism of electromobility, with significant attention to economic issues, though not exclusively. Third, at the subnational level, regional AfD branches vary in the intensity of their opposition to e-cars. They tend to be more rejective in areas with strong traditional car industries and more cautious in regions where the growth of electric car production could offer economic benefits. Fourth, in its opposition to electric cars, AfD discourse relies on traditional far-right tropes, notably employing a radicalized language and framing opposing views as mere ‘ideology’. Methodologically, we analyse (a) regional party manifestos from 2014 to 2024 and (b) speeches in parliamentary debates.