‘Electric car too expensive for many Europeans’

Buying a new electric car is not for everyone, not even in the Netherlands. In fact, a new car is not an option for many people, let alone an often more expensive electric one. It is even more difficult in other economically less strong parts of Europe, emphasizes the European car industry organization ACEA. It warns that governments must take more action to further boost EV sales there as well.

By way of illustration, the ACEA presents some striking figures. In more than half of the EU member states, electric cars account for only 9 percent of all new cars sold. “Those countries are mainly located in Central, Eastern and Southern Europe, where the average net annual income is at €13,000.” It is a completely different story in ‘our’ part of the EU. “The highest shares (30 percent and more) can be found in only five countries in the north and west of Europe, where the net annual income is above €32,000 on average.”

A rather skewed distribution, which can be directly linked to the prosperity in the countries. Not a big surprise, perhaps, but the ACEA finds it necessary to present some possible solutions. According to the trade association, policymakers should accelerate the installation of charging infrastructure, especially in countries where this is clearly lagging behind, in order to make the electric car more attractive by definition. Furthermore, according to the organization, further subsidies can help to sell EVs in poorer countries as well. 2035 still seems a long way off, but there is still a long way to go.