Overview
- Pressed to name a year, the Green candidate refused to set a date but conceded 2035 is not attainable and called for flexibility on the path to electrification.
- He signaled support for chancellery proposals to allow limited exceptions such as plug-in hybrids, while maintaining the end goal of e-mobility.
- Positioning himself as a pragmatic centrist in Baden-Württemberg, he advocated a potential coalition of the middle with CDU and SPD ahead of the March 2026 vote.
- Moderator Sandra Maischberger repeatedly challenged his evasive answers and cut off a deflection when he avoided naming a timeline.
- In a separate segment, Jan van Aken said Europe already spends more on defense than Russia, which Christian Mölling disputed using purchasing-power parity and an intelligence-based, contested warning that Russia could be capable of attacking an EU country by 2029.