Sales of electric cars in Europe have been booming over the last seven months according to the July edition of the European Electric Car report. For the first time in over 10 years Europe has overtaken China in terms of volume. Now 2020 looks set to be a record year with predicted sales topping the magical one million mark for the first time ever.
Figures compiled by Matthias Schmidt, a Berlin-based independent auto analyst, show sales of over half a million split between 269,000 electric vehicles and 231,000 plug-in hybrid electric vehicles, while China recorded 486,000 sales of both during this period. This is not only exciting news for Europe but the continued growth of electric car and vehicle sales around the world, especially because this has happened during the Covid-19 global pandemic.
The rise in European sales is thought to be largely generated by the combination of subsidies and the large EU7 CO2 fines enforced on car manufacturers for failing to meet tougher emissions targets. With this in mind, and the upcoming launch of Volkswagen’s ID.3 hatchback electric car, Schmidt predicts this growing trend will continue throughout 2020.
