The worsening state of the global climate has pushed automakers to concentrate more on electric cars, even during the pandemic.
Car-makers giant Volkswagen increased the sales of electric cars by three times in the year 2020. The battery-only cars were introduced to the market as the new European Union limits on auto emissions were implemented. Their new electric compact ID.3 became quite popular among the Germans who were hesitant to switch to electric vehicles in the past. Electric cars had an immense surge in sales in December compared to diesel cars.
The increase in sales indicates the future of electric cars in the market for the upcoming years. Even though the car market had experienced a devastating drop due to the recession caused by the pandemic, with the new EU regulations, there is an increase in the market share for electric vehicles.
Volkswagen revealed on Tuesday that the company sold 134,000 battery-powered cars in 2020. This is a huge surge from 2019’s 45,000.
The sales of electric cars went up to 212,000 from 2019’s 82,000 including the hybrids. The hybrids have a combination of an electric motor and an internal combustion engine.
The auto industry association in Germany announced that at least one in four vehicles sold in Germany was equipped with an electric motor. The government offered incentives to them under a stimulus package during the COVID-19 recession. Volkswagen made its announcement after the report came to light.
The sales of battery and hybrid cars left the previously dominating diesel cars far behind by making 26.6% of the total car sales that month. Volkswagen’s diesel car sales also dropped after the 2015 scandal where the company installed software in the cars to cheat emissions tests in the US.
The sales of electric cars have been growing very fast in the European market.
As per the new and strict EU average limits on emissions of carbon dioxide, which is the main greenhouse gas causing global warming and climate change cars must have zero-emission. The new emission regulation came into effect from January 1st, 2021. Cars with more than 95 grams of carbon dioxide per kilometer driven will be fined heavily.
Due to government incentives, the sales of electric cars have increased immensely. The new models like the ID.3 are designed as a pure electric car and not like the ones that were converted from the internal combustion models.
There is still much to do like increasing the places to charge electric cars. Many apartment buildings have no more space to install a charging box. As per the reports of Germany’s auto association, the VDA, the country has only one charging station for every 17 electric cars available for the public.
California-based Tesla has played a major role in the rapid growth of the electric cars market, with its Model 3. Tesla has a powerful network of fast-charging stations all over the country.
