FRANKFURT, Germany (AP) – Europe’s advancement in electric cars is picking up speed – despite the pandemic.
Volkswagen has tripled sales of battery-powered cars in 2020, when its new electric compact ID.3 hit the market before the European Union’s strict new limits on automotive emissions. And Germany, long lagging behind in adopting electric vehicles, saw more people buy electric products in December than opted for previously dominant diesel vehicles.
These are the first signs of what is likely to be a year of increased market share for the electric car as EU regulations drive its adoption, despite the recession caused by the coronavirus pandemic that has caused the overall car market to shrink.
Volkswagen said on Tuesday that its eponymous 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, sales of electrified cars reached 212,000, up from 82,000 in 2019.
Volkswagen announcement comes when the auto industry association in Germany reports that one in four cars sold in the country in December had an electric motor, an acceptance that was supported by incentives as part of the government’s stimulus package during the COVID-19 recession.
Battery and hybrid cars had 26.6% of sales that month, ahead of diesel cars, which had 26.2%. This is also a symbol of the sharp decline in diesel after the Volkswagen scandal in 2015 involving diesel cars manipulated to cheat in emissions tests.
Electric cars have so far been a small but rapidly growing share of the European market. According to the European Automobile Manufacturers Association, in the July-September 2020 quarter, 9.9% of the cars sold were paid vehicles, compared to 3.0% a year earlier. The association publishes annual statistics on February 4.
EU automakers are expected to sell more zero-emission cars to meet the stricter average limits on carbon dioxide emissions, the main greenhouse gas responsible for climate change. These limits took effect on January 1. Failure to achieve a fleet average of less than 95 grams of carbon dioxide per kilometer traveled can mean heavy fines.
Sales were driven by government incentives and an increasing number of new models that – like ID.3 – were designed purely as electric cars, rather than being converted from internal combustion models. The electric-only design can mean more interior space as a selling point. The compact ID.3 will not reach the American market, where Volkswagen will offer the ID.4 electric sport utility vehicle done on the same mechanical base.
The demand was contained by the lack of spaces to charge electric cars, including for people who live in apartment buildings and cannot install a charging box at home. The German automobile association, VDA, said there is only one charging station available to the public for every 17 electric cars.
California-based Tesla has been a major factor in electrical growth with its Model 3 and its proprietary network of fast charging stations.
The government of China, the largest automotive market in the world, is also putting pressure on automakers to reduce emissions.
Electric vehicle acceptance has been slower in the United States, where regulatory pressure has been weaker and where 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 imposed.
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