For the first time ever, electric vehicles outsold their gas counterparts in Europe. According to the European Automobile Manufacturers’ Association, 559,733 EVs were sold across 30 European countries in the first four months of 2023, a whopping 37% increase from the same period last year. In comparison, only 550,391 gas-powered cars were sold, marking a decline of 0.5%. Looks like the age of the internal combustion engine in Europe may be coming to an end sooner than we thought!
The numbers show a major turning point for EVs. Just three years ago in 2019, EV sales were merely a tenth of gas vehicle sales in Europe. how things have changed! Last year, EVs trailed gas cars by only 60,000 vehicles, with 1.6 million gas vehicles and 1.57 million EVs sold.
“This is an historic overtaking,” said one industry analyst. “EVs were first developed and sold in Europe, but gas-powered cars have dominated for over a century. Now it looks like the tables have finally turned.”
The dramatic rise in eco-friendly vehicles and fall of the once mighty gas guzzler can be chalked up to tough new environmental laws enacted by the EU to reduce carbon emissions. New rules set to take effect in 2035 will ban the sale of new gas and diesel cars unless they operate on carbon-neutral fuels. EU countries are also offering folks subsidies and tax breaks for going electric. No wonder automakers are pushing EVs hard in Europe!
This growth in electric vehicle registrations was seen across all commercial vehicle segments, with electrically chargeable vehicles gaining significant ground. Charging infrastructure for EVs is also ramping up in Europe, with more than half a million publicly accessible charging points in the first quarter of 2023. This represents an average of 3.3 charge points per 1000 cars and vans, a 26% increase since 2022.
The latest data reveals that electrically chargeable vehicles now account for 21.6% of total passenger and commercial vehicle registrations in the EU. In the commercial vehicle sector, van registrations rose by 7.7%, truck registrations surged by 19.4%, and bus registrations increased by 15.5% in Q1 2023.
While the fall of gas cars was inevitable, who knew EVs would take over so fast? The era of the EVs in Europe looks like it may sputter out sooner than anyone predicted. The times are definitely changing for the auto industry! EVs are in the driver’s seat now, and it doesn’t look like they have any plans of slowing down.
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