EU electric car sales plunge 44% in August
EV sales have fallen for the fourth consecutive month, prompting the European Automobile Manufacturers' Association (ACEA) to call for “urgent action” to stem further decline.
Sales of fully electric cars fell 43.9% in August in the EU, with the bloc’s biggest EV markets Germany and France recording drops of 68.8% and 33.1%, respectively, Reuters reports.
Overall, new car sales in the EU dropped 18.3% in August to their lowest in three years, pulled down by significant losses in major markets like Germany, France and Italy and falling EV sales, according to auto industry body data.
EV sales have fallen for the fourth consecutive month, prompting the European Automobile Manufacturers' Association (ACEA) to call for “urgent action” to stem further decline.
“EU institutions to come forward with urgent relief measures before new CO2 targets for cars and vans come into effect in 2025,” the ACEA said.
Registrations of plug-in electric cars fell 22.3% in the bloc.
Sales at EV maker Tesla fell 43.2% in August, and sales at China’s SAIC Motor were down 27.5%.
The shrinking sales are partly because of diverging policies on green incentives across the bloc. Also, regulators have imposed hefty tariffs to try to keep out cheaper Chinese models.
Germany recently agreed on tax deductions of up to 40% for companies on their EV sales in a bid to revive the market.
However, Campaign group Transport & Environment has predicted that the market will recover, with battery electric cars reaching a total market share of between 20% and 24% by 2025 in the EU, according to the Reuters report.
Meanwhile, hybrid electric cars are gaining traction in the EU, with sales rising 6.6% in August, according to ACEA data.
