Model 3 has taken Europe by storm — especially after Norway’s recent craziness for Tesla’s lower-priced sedan. Now, it appears Germany is also falling in love with an American car that doesn’t pollute the environment.
Many have predicted that the growth of Tesla in Germany will be limited by different factors that are unique to the market and differentiate it from markets like the US, Norway, and the Netherlands. The first of those factors is the German auto industry, which is without any doubt the dominant industry (including suppliers and suppliers of suppliers and suppliers of suppliers of suppliers) in the largest economy in Europe. As such an influential industry, it has a large influence on politics, laws, and regulations.
The German plug-in passenger car market was up 17% to 6,767 registrations in January, with a seismic change happening in the fuels mix.
The German plug-in electric vehicle (PEV) passenger car market ended the year dropping 10% in December, to 5,711 registrations, with fully electric cars continuing to expand (+12% YoY) while plug-in hybrid electrics couldn’t find a way out of their hole (-35% in December). Fully electrics (BEVs) now clearly outselling plugin hybrids (PHEVs) — 67% PEV segment share for BEVs in December, and well above the 2018 average (53%).
Sales of fully electric vehicles in Germany grew by 43.9% in 2018 to 36,062, according to official figures released by the German Federal Motor Transport Authority (Kraftfahrt Bundesamt). This was more than 1% of total new passenger car sales.
Below are the 55 CleanTechnica articles published in 2018 that got the most eyeballs on them. Why 55?
2019 is poised to be a breakout year for Tesla. The Model 3 is expected to become the best selling electric car in Germany and construction of the new Gigafactory 3 in China is already a year ahead of schedule.
After a positive October, the German plug-in electric vehicle (PEV) market slipped again in November, down 2% to 6,266 registrations. This is in the midst of a seismic change happening in the fuels mix, with full electrics (BEVs) jumping +41% YoY while plug-in hybrids (PHEVs) continue sinking (-39%). Full electrics now outsell plug-in hybrids by a decent margin, flipping the script on this market (68% share for BEVs in November).
After a slip in September (-12% year over year), the German plug-in electric vehicle (PEV) passenger car market returned to a growth path, growing 6% in October with 5,292 registrations.
Als deutscher Ingenieur bin mehr als jemals zuvor über die Fähigkeit unser Auto Industrie zu überleben und zu gedeihen besorgt. Ich schreibe dies als eine Person, die sein Land, die Menschen und mein schnelles deutsches Auto liebt, ein wahres Meisterstück der Technologie.
