Europe’s electric vehicle market surged by 37% last year but electric cars still make up just 0.6% of overall new car registrations, industry figures published on Thursday show.
But more policy incentives are needed to encourage greater take-up, the European Automobile Manufacturers’ Association (ACEA) said.
The UK, which offers up to £5,000 premiums for electric and plug-in vehicles, along with tax exemptions, saw the biggest increase of any major market in new electric vehicle purchases in 2014. The UK also had the highest number of new electric vehicles at over 15,000.
However policy incentives have not worked across the board. The Netherlands, which offers consumers tax exemptions, experienced a 42% drop in sales compared to 2013.
This article includes content hosted on d26adhsj11a4c2.cloudfront.net. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as the provider may be using cookies and other technologies. To view this content, click 'Allow and continue'.
According to the ACEA, wider EU-level support would shift market focus from conventional fuel vehicles to electrics. It believes electric vehicles’ market share could grow to 2-8% in the 2020s but increased coordination by EU states in rolling out charging stations will be needed. Uniform standards for electric vehicle technology would also help.
Green group Transport & Environment said tighter 2025 CO2 standards for Europe could encourage investments in clean technology.
Comments (…)
Sign in or create your Guardian account to join the discussion