EV sales soaring in Europe

Plug-in vehicle sales continue their steep rise in Europe where 307,400 units were sold in 2017, up 39% on the previous year.

These include battery electric (BEV) and plug-in hybrid (PHEV) passenger and light commercial vehicles, EV-volumes.com reports.

Germany is the 2017 highlight with a 108% increase on 2016, making it the second largest market in Europe for plug-ins behind Norway (32.5% share in 2017).

“If the preliminary sales results of January are any indication, Germany is on the way to becoming the largest plug-in vehicle market in Europe and the fifth largest globally.”

Norway reached 42% in December and half of December passenger car sales were electrically chargeable vehicles.

For 2018, EV-volumes.com expects a 41% increase to 430,000 units, assuming current incentive levels remain and that supply meets demand.

“We are currently noting tight inventories and long waiting lists on certain BEV models like Renault Zoe, VW e-Golf, the new Nissan Leaf and the Hyundai Kona,” it says.

“We don’t account for significant Tesla Model 3 sales in Europe before 2019.”

Five new BEVs and 16 new PHEVs are planned during 2018 from European, Japanese and Korean car makers. These include the new Nissan Leaf, the Jaguar I-Pace, the Audi E-Tron Quattro and a further seven new PHEV variants from VW.

“It all means more choice and better value for broader adoption.”

Visit www.ev-volumes.com for more information.