The proportion of purely electric cars in new registrations in Germany reached the second-highest value ever measured in a month in August. According to the Federal Motor Transport Authority (KBA), 86,649 battery-electric vehicles hit the streets last month. This means that almost 32 percent of all newly registered cars were on the road. This is more than double the previous year’s value and, according to the KBA, the second-highest percentage ever achieved in a month.
Most recently, the proportion was slightly higher at around a third last December. At that time, a particularly large number of electric vehicles were newly registered in order to still be able to benefit from the higher subsidy, which was changed at the turn of the year.
According to EY, there is currently a similar effect behind the boost: the strong growth is primarily due to last-minute new registrations by commercial owners. On September 1st, the state subsidy for her expired.
The strong growth in electric cars is therefore “only good news at first glance,” said EY expert Constantin Gall. Almost 70 percent of newly registered electric cars are owned by commercial owners. “If the purchase of an electric car is significantly less attractive for this important customer group from September, this will be reflected in the new registrations in the coming months. Then comes the great awakening.”
The Association of International Motor Vehicle Manufacturers also emphasized that the high number of commercial BEV registrations should not hide the fact that “the market for electric vehicles is no longer growing as dynamically as before,” as Association President Reinhard Zirpel announced. “A new overall concept with suitable financial framework conditions for alternative drives is therefore urgently needed.” The many new e-cars ensured significant growth in the overall market. According to the KBA, a total of 273,417 passenger cars were newly registered in August. That was more than 37 percent more than in the same month last year.
