Although coronavirus has caused a standstill to various business operations, Europe’s transition to electric cars is still untamed. The sales of EVs and their hybrid counterparts are still high despite the market recess all due to government efforts.
The 27 EU country members are going on with their scheduled transition in the transportation industry from ICE cars to electric vehicles to counter climate change. The regulatory commission on climate change is forcing carmakers to slide into the EV industry to minimize greenhouse gas emissions come next year.
Electric cars are cheap compared to the ICE cars thanks to the considerable government subsidies. Market studies show that the drop in demand for conventional petrol cars is a countereffect for the high demand for EVs and hybrids that combine electric motors with traditional engines. However, the US is witnessing a slow transition to electric-powered vehicles because of uncertainty in future policy changes.
European markets have witnessed a rise in the market share for electric vehicles and their hybrids despite the closure of showrooms because of the coronavirus outbreak. For instance, Germany recorded an increase of 5 per cent despite the 35 per cent drop in the overall car sales. On the other hand, France and Sweden recorded a 7 and 15 per cent increase in market sales for electric vehicles and hybrids.
One of the luring powers of EVs is the dedication of the government incentives in them. For example, an EV that costs 40000 euros in Germany has a total incentive of 12000 euros, making these vehicles irresistible. Currently, car fanatics have over 50 varieties of battery and hybrid models to consider buying. These vehicles go for as low as 20000 euros.
Landsberg is Lech’s auto dealer Juergen Sangl says that the demand for EVs is tremendous. He expects his business to flourish in the future, thanks to the government’s efforts to shift to clean transportation. Customers of Electric Vehicles find them thrilling to drive for over 300 kilometers in a single charge.
However, the pandemic has had an enormous impact on the automakers. The chief executive of Daimler (designer of Mercedes Benz), Ola Kallenius, elaborates that they now have a challenge of pruning their costs with this new regular lifestyle pattern.
Finally, automakers in the EU member countries intend to minimize the emissions of their vehicles to as low as 90 grams of carbon dioxide per kilometer of driving in 2021. The Transport & Environment advocacy group states that this move is possible if the countries raise their EV sales from 7 to 12 percent of the market. This move will also ensure the compliance of the EU with the Paris climate policy of tackling global warming and climate change.
