In Europe, electric vehicle sales have surpassed diesel vehicle sales for the first time. There are now 15.1% more electric automobiles than diesel cars on the road. The percentage of plug-in hybrids in the European market has fluctuated, from 7.9% to 7.1%, depending on the country. Above, you can see a Tesla type Y near Tesla’s Gigafactory in Berlin-Brandenburg, the best-selling automobile model in Europe during the first half of 2023. Since fuel prices in Europe have historically been higher than in many other regions, diesel vehicles have enjoyed widespread popularity there. In Europe, non-gasoline compact hatchbacks have been scarce for some time. The same was true with large automobiles, particularly in the United Kingdom. People nevertheless bought diesel cars in various regions despite the Volkswagen diesel scandal, which affected many different models. The ACEA, representing European automakers, reports that new battery-electric car sales in the EU have surpassed those of diesel models. Data gathered in June 2023 shows that BEVs account for 15.1% of the market. Compared to the 10.7 percent share BEVs enjoyed in the EU market in March of 2022, this represents a growth of 66.2%. The Netherlands increased by 90.1%, whereas Germany and France rose by 64.4% and 52.0%, respectively. However, BEV growth has not been consistent throughout all EU member states. About a third of the industry now uses alternative fuels instead of gasoline. In Europe, gas-powered vehicles continue to dominate the market. They account for 36.3 percent of the industry, while hybrids have only 24.3 percent. Plug-in hybrid sales have dropped by as much as 39.2 percent over the past year across various EU countries, including Germany. Increases in market share of PHEVs of 51.7% have been seen in countries like Spain. Bans on diesel fuel Is this a result of the battle between regulators and gallons of diesel, or simply a reflection of the rising demand for EVs, or both? Several major European towns experimented with restrictions on diesel vehicles, effectively keeping them out of urban areas before the European Parliament set a target for the entire union to sell zero-emission automobiles by 2035. People avoided purchasing diesel vehicles because of Volkswagen’s ongoing crisis, which has impacted competitors like Audi, Skoda, and SEAT. However, it is far too soon in Europe to ban diesel vehicles entirely. To begin, diesel is rising in several sovereign nations, including Germany and Romania, which increased by 22.4 percent last month. This is so even though diesel is losing favour in many parts of the world. We wouldn’t question diesel’s continued appeal in a few tiny regions in Eastern Europe, both inside and outside the EU. Stranger still, many of the most well-known battery-electric vehicles need to be produced by European automakers. The Model Y, which dominates the BEV market, was the top-selling product of any kind in the first six months of 2023. There is also a limited supply of Chinese-made electric vehicles. Many market analysts missed both of these developments a few years ago.
