LEIPZIG, Germany (Reuters) - The German government plans to invest around 500 million euros ($605.8 million) in alternative fuel technology research over the next 10 years, Transport Minister Wolfgang Tiefensee said on Saturday.
"This technology needs to get a boost in Europe. We need new incentives that lead away from oil," Tiefensee said on Saturday at the Leipzig car show.
He said that by 2020, hydrogen and fuel-cell technology would likely be ready for mass production. In the meantime Germany would need to try to get a headstart in developing new fuel technology.
Representatives of the auto industry also expressed a willingness to invest in the development of environmentally friendly fuels. Tiefensee said he he hoped the industry would invest another 500 million euros in the government's research programme.
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