Sales of electric cars are falling
Sales of electric cars continue to stagnate. Compared to last year, sales figures have significantly decreased. Experts cite persistent public concerns. The federal government's long-term goals may not be achievable.
Interest in new electric cars among potential buyers in Germany is currently low. In July, only 30,762 pure electric cars were newly registered - 36.8 percent less than in July 2023, according to the Federal Motor Transport Authority. The share of all new car registrations in Germany in July was 12.9 percent.
This trend has been ongoing for months. Since January, around 215,000 electric cars have been registered in Germany, representing 12.6 percent of all new registrations. In the first seven months of the previous year, this figure was 268,926, with a share of 16.4 percent.
"The sales of electric cars are disappointing, they are currently charging stations," says Constantin Gall of the consulting firm EY about the new figures. There are still significant reservations about electric cars among large parts of the population. "High prices, the limited range of affordable electric small cars, the depreciation of used electric cars, range problems, long charging times, and the patchy charging infrastructure are all seen critically," explains Gall. Even new models with longer ranges and shorter charging times are not changing the poor demand situation at present.
Government target barely reached
The federal government has set a goal of having 15 million electric cars on the road in Germany by 2030. This currently seems unlikely. According to the Federal Motor Transport Authority, there were 1.4 million purely electric cars registered in Germany as of January 1, 2023.
In total, 238,263 cars were newly registered in Germany in July, 2.1 percent less than in the previous year. "There is still a large gap to the pre-crisis level: the sales were 28 percent below the level of July 2019," analyzes the consulting firm EY. So far this year, around 500,000 fewer new cars have been sold in Germany compared to the same period in 2019.
The ongoing decrease in electric car sales is evident in Germany, with only 30,762 registrations in July, a 36.8% drop compared to the same month in 2023. Despite new models and improved features, persistent public concerns about high prices, limited range, depreciation of used electric cars, range problems, long charging times, and inadequate infrastructure continue to hinder electric car sales, making the federal government's goal of 15 million electric cars by 2030 challenging to achieve.
