The federal government in Germany set itself a remarkable goal in 2013. By 2020, around a million electric cars are expected to be on German roads. The hope for more vehicles of this type was even higher back then. The target value now appears to have moved significantly further away. 55,000 electric cars (including plug-in hybrids) are currently in active use in Germany. According to current estimates, there will be a maximum of 200,000 vehicles in 2020. But what is the reason for this reluctance in the area of e-mobility and what does the electric car market actually look like in other countries?
The highest inventory with around 400,000 electricalThe USA has cars, closely followed by China with around 300,000. However, if you look at the stock in relation to the number of inhabitants, another value clearly comes to the fore. When comparing countries, it is much more important to pay attention to the market share of e-mobility on the roads. Norway is by far an important pioneer here. Over 18% of the vehicles on the roads are currently electric cars. These are mainly the Nissan Leaf, Volkswagen e-Golf and Tesla Model S models. A clear trend towards e-drive can also be seen in the Netherlands, with a market share of 8.4% for electric cars and 43,970 new registrations in 2015. In comparison, Germany scores with a share of 0.77%E-carvery bad on the roads.
What is the reason for the electric car boom in other countries? After all, Germany has a higher number of charging stations compared to Norway and the Netherlands, which should essentially make using an electric car easier. The electric car boom in Norway can be explained by the environmentally friendly and particularly sustainable mentality of the Norwegians. The government support in Germany and Norway with regard to electric cars, such as the exemption from vehicle tax and a purchase bonus of up to €4,000, do not differ from each other. Another advantage that owners of electric cars in the Netherlands have over German electric car owners is excellent infrastructure. For example, in large cities such as Amsterdam, where it is usually particularly difficult to find parking spaces, they have provided special parking options for electric cars.
Overall, Germans have little desire for electric cars because they are still too expensive for many people. Even the purchase bonus of €4,000 is not enough to convince fuel drivers to switch. The federal government may want to consider increasing state funding, as is the case in France. A purchase premium of €6,300 is common there, which in turn is reflected in the number of new registrations. But it's not just the price that's important, you also have to think about expanding the infrastructure, such as parking options for electric cars in big cities like the Netherlands or inductive charging technology using magnetic coils on the road as is the case in Great Britain. The possibilities are almost limitless and the electric car market is only at the beginning of its development. It therefore remains exciting to what extent Germany will make use of these options and when we can also expect an electric car boom.
