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EV Sales in Europe Increase Fivefold by 2020

Europe is still reluctant to accept the EV as the feasible alternative to the conventional gasoline-, diesel-and LPG-powered vehicles. They have not really had too many options to choose from, anyway, and only the last two years have brought about the introduction of cars actual people would actually like to buy and own.
Opel Amperea Green 1 photo
Photo: Opel
It goes further, according to Pike Research, and the launch of desirable cars like the Nissan Leaf and Opel/Vauxhall Ampera has set in motion a chain reaction which will lead to Europeans buying five times more EVs by 2020. This means that the number of EVs purchased will account for 4% of the entire automotive sales on the continent, by the turn of the decade.

Pike Research also places the rising cost of fuel at the top of the list of reasons for buying an EV in Europe, yet ultra-efficient diesels and hybrids like the Volkswagen XL1 will still deter some buyers from going all-electric.

This all means that by 2020, the market share of EVs will grow from the 0.7% figure of 2012, to 4%, which roughly equates to 827,000 EVs sold on the continent, every year.

David Alexander, Pike Research senior analyst said: "The European transportation market is significantly different from other world regions [ . . . ] Thanks to fuel prices that are significantly higher than in North America, small, efficient gasoline- and diesel-engine cars have led European sales figures for many years. Today, the market is still testing electric drive technology, waiting for the price premium for EVs compared to conventional vehicles to narrow, and in some cases waiting for electric charging infrastructure to become established."
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