Electric Cars Up 137% In Germany, Approaching 2% Market Share

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All signs point to a changing of the winds in Germany with regards to plug-in vehicles. Emissions scandal after emissions scandal have raked the confidence of the public in the German auto industry and many have started to take action. Sales number from August show that nearly 2% (1.88% to be exact) of new vehicle sales in Germany were plug-in vehicles, with fully electric vehicles up +137%. That’s a higher percentage share of new vehicle sales than in the United States.

Lineup of Porsches at the Porsche Museum in Stuttgart, Germany March, 2017. Photo Credit: Kyle Field

The data show that diesel continues to lose share as electric and plug-in vehicle sales rise. The difference in volume is still dramatic, but the EV trend is strongly upward.

  • Diesel: 95,636, -13.8%
  • Petrol: 148,149, +15%
  • Electric: 2,177, +137%
  • Plug In: 2,617, +214%
  • Electric + Plug In Combined: 4,794 ( 1.88% market share)

The lack of confidence in diesel vehicles is not going away, and as car stories are very popular in the German media, the discussion is going to stay on the radar. As such, it is logical that diesel will continue to lose market share. The other loser in the diesel emissions scandal was the people.

The air quality in big diesel cities continues to suffer. With Europe’s larger percentage of diesel vehicles on the road, the best example of this is perhaps Stuttgart, the birthplace of the diesel engine. Stuttgart is also home to Porsche and Daimler and is the heart of the German auto industry. Ironically enough, it also suffers from the worst particulate emission levels in Germany, known locally as feinstaub or fine dust.

River in Stuttgart, Germany. March 2017. Photo Credit: Kyle Field

As citizens continue to rail against diesel and the emissions scandals that continue to rock the German auto industry, plug-in vehicles are the natural solution, and the sentiment continues to show up in new vehicle sales numbers.

Tesla could not ask for a better time to release the Model 3. Germany has a high average new vehicle purchase price of around €31,000 per car, which makes the Model 3 a very practical alternative at €35,000. Tesla previously announced its intentions to announce the locations of the next 2 to 4 Gigafactories by the end of the year. With Germany’s expertise in automotive, it seems to be a logical choice. Whether an announcement from Tesla will surface at IAA in Frankfurt next week is anyone’s guess, but the prospect of a German Tesla Gigafactory seems extremely logical.

Not only would a German Gigafactory make a ton of business sense, it is sure that it would catalyze action from the German automotive industry once and for all and stimulate the production of more German electric vehicles. Additionally, it would likely help electric models from German automakers get to market much sooner than they would otherwise, by at least 18 months if not more.

Germany Electric Car Registrations

Model July 2017 YTD 2017 July 2016 YTD 2016 July Market Share YTD 2017 Market Share
Audi A3 e-tron 529 2,734 71 867 13% 10%
Audi Q7 e-tron 39 427 129 403 1% 2%
BMW 225xe 265 1,891 0 441 6% 7%
BMW 330e 43 367 28 220 1% 1%
BMW 530e 145 470 0 0 3% 2%
BMW i3 325 2,385 134 957 8% 9%
BMW i8 22 186 23 167 1% 1%
Hyundai Ioniq 93 427 0 0 2% 2%
Kia Soul EV 365 1,356 46 338 9% 5%
Mercedes B250e 41 457 22 219 1% 2%
Mercedes C350e (est.) 99 683 40 434 2% 3%
Mercedes E350e 59 439 0 0 1% 2%
Mercedes GLC350e 138 830 25 57 3% 3%
Mercedes GLE500e 26 236 14 181 1% 1%
MINI Countryman PHEV 42 171 0 0 1% 1%
Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV 82 1,488 87 643 2% 6%
Nissan Leaf 44 565 42 689 1% 2%
Porsche Cayenne S E-Hybrid 23 195 24 190 1% 1%
Porsche Panamera S E-Hybrid 117 383 7 90 3% 1%
Peugeot iOn 18 190 16 55 0% 1%
Renault Zoe 413 2,842 301 1,580 10% 11%
Smart Electric Drive 134 409 3 67 3% 2%
Tesla Model S 102 1,365 80 838 2% 5%
Tesla Model X 78 710 9 29 2% 3%
Volvo XC90 T8 33 309 51 454 1% 1%
Volvo V60 T8 59 269 59 124 1% 1%
VW e-Golf 113 645 136 494 3% 2%
VW e-Up! 90 658 37 303 2% 3%
VW Golf GTE 135 771 93 813 3% 3%
VW Passat GTE 164 988 109 766 4% 4%
Others 355 1,390 220 989 8% 5%
Total 4,191 26,236 1,806 12,408 100% 100%

Article adapted from our friends at The Beam in Berlin.

Sales data for charts via José Pontes.

Source: Frankfurter Allgemeine


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Kyle Field

I'm a tech geek passionately in search of actionable ways to reduce the negative impact my life has on the planet, save money and reduce stress. Live intentionally, make conscious decisions, love more, act responsibly, play. The more you know, the less you need. As an activist investor, Kyle owns long term holdings in Tesla, Lightning eMotors, Arcimoto, and SolarEdge.

Kyle Field has 1654 posts and counting. See all posts by Kyle Field