FRANKFURT, Germany (PA) – Europe’s momentum in electric cars is growing – despite the pandemic.
Carmaker Volkswagen has tripled battery-only car sales in 2020 as its new ID.3 electric compact enters the market ahead of the European Union’s new tough limits on car emissions. And Germany, long overdue in adopting electric vehicles, saw more people buy electricity in December than they had opted for previously dominant diesel vehicles.
These are the early signs of next year that is likely to have a growing market share for electric cars, as EU regulations lead to their adoption, despite the recession caused by the coronavirus pandemic that has led to a decline in the overall car market.
Volkswagen said on Tuesday that its namesake brand sold 134,000 battery-powered cars last year, up from 45,000 in 2019.
Including hybrids, which combine an internal combustion engine and an electric motor, electrified car sales reached 212,000, up from 82,000 in 2019.
The Volkswagen ad comes as the German car industry association reports that one in four cars sold in the country in December had an electric motor, absorption of which was supported by incentives as part of the government’s stimulus package during the COVID-19 recession.
Hybrid and battery cars accounted for 26.6% of sales in that month, surpassing diesel cars, which had 26.2%. This is also evidence of the sharp drop in diesel after the 2015 Volkswagen scandal over diesel cars set up to cheat on emissions tests.
Electric cars have so far been a small but fast-growing part of the European market. According to the European Association of Automobile Manufacturers, In the quarter of July-September 2020, 9.9% of cars sold were tax vehicles, up from 3.0% a year earlier. The association publishes year-round statistics on February 4.
EU carmakers have to sell more zero-emission cars to meet the fleet’s stricter average limits on carbon dioxide, the main greenhouse gas blamed for climate change. These limits came into full force on 1 January. Failure to comply with a fleet average of less than 95 grams of carbon dioxide per kilometer may result in heavy fines.
Sales were driven by government incentives and a growing number of new models that – like ID.3 – were designed only as electric cars, rather than transformed from internal combustion models. Exclusively electric design can mean more interior space as a point of sale. The compact ID.3 does not come on the US market, where Volkswagen will offer the ID.4 electric sport utility vehicle made on the same mechanical basis.
The demand was hampered by the lack of charging places for electric cars, including for people who live in apartment buildings and cannot install a charging box at home. The German car association, VDA, said there was only one publicly available charging station for every 17 electric cars.
The California-based Tesla has been a major factor in electric growth with its Model 3 and its network of fast charging stations.
The Chinese government, the world’s largest car market, is also pushing carmakers to reduce emissions.
Electric vehicle use has been slower in the United States, where regulatory pressure has been lower and gasoline costs just $ 2 per gallon, depending on the region. This compares to 1.30 euros per liter of gas, or $ 6 per gallon in Germany, much of which is tax.
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