E-mobility on the advance

According to a study of the renowned Center of Automotive Management (CAM) in Germany, 2018 was the first year to see more than 2 million e-vehicles being sold around the world. That makes it 2.4 percent of all newly registered vehicles. Apart from the main markets China and the US, Europe was closely analyzed as well.

Norway continues to be the European leader in e-vehicles. Almost every second newly registered vehicle in Norway now has an electric motor; last year this number was 73,000. The fact that so many drivers in the Scandinavian country are switching to electric mobility is largely due to generous government subsidies for alternative drive systems. The Norwegian government waives VAT for e-car buyers and pays import duties, and Norwegians can also look forward to a reduced motor vehicle tax. Electric cars can also be parked free of charge in many places and use bus lanes. In Norway – unlike e.g. in Germany – this makes them several thousand euros cheaper compared to gasoline cars.

In Germany, registrations grew moderately to around 68,000 passenger e-cars in 2018 as a whole, representing an increase of 24 percent. The market share rose from 1.6 to 2.0 percent. Battery cars increased proportionally to 53 percent, 47 percent of the e-vehicles sold were plug-in hybrids.

In the other European countries, Great Britain recorded an increase of 24 percent to 60,000 e-vehicles, while a total of 46,000 new passenger cars (+23%) were registered in France. In Sweden, e-vehicle sales last year rose to just under 29,000 units, giving a market share of 8.1 percent. In the Netherlands, the sales figures for electric vehicles tripled to around 27,000, where the market share rose to 6.0 percent.

For the current year 2019, CAM expects “a further moderate increase in demand for electric vehicles”. In forecasts, the researchers assume that e-vehicle sales worldwide will grow by around 40 percent to 2.7 million units. The global market share of e-vehicles is expected to rise from 2.4 to around 3.1 percent.

Widukind Baier, Regional Leader Northwest Europe & MEA within the InterSearch Automotive Practice Group, states that

“the combustion engine, as it is still favored by the German consumers, is not fit for the future. However, despite the still existing challenges for alternatives our clients in the automotive industry have long since set the course for a change.”

Widukind Baier

Regional Leader Northwest Europe & MEA – Automotive Practice Group

Widukind’s major expertise lies in the industrial sector, with a main focus on advanced technology, especially within the field of automotive. He advises clients on global megatrends such as autonomous driving, predictive safety, networked car and e-mobility. Besides the automotive area, Widukind consults companies from the electronics industry and from the FMCG sector – especially the food industry – as well as from the medical technology and chemical industry. He supports them in filling demanding vacancies both in the technical and the commercial field and is known to be a reliable and esteemed partner in challenging recruitment projects.