The amount of electric cars sold in the Netherlands has doubled in the first half of 2020 despite the corona crisis. In total, more than 7,300 electric cars were sold. Sales of plug-in hybrids also increased by half.
This is according to figures from VWE Automotive. The data company points out that electric vehicles are no longer mainly sold and serviced by branded dealers. For instance, universal car companies now carry out more MOTs of electric vehicles than brand dealers. In addition, used ones are increasingly found in the showroom of universal car companies.
More sales from and by individuals
Sales of electric cars by individuals to individuals are also on the rise. In the first half of this year, 1,520 electric vehicles were sold second-hand without the intervention of dealers. The number of plug-in hybrids sold in this way came to 3,048 units.
However, at 79%, the vast majority of the used electric car market remains in the hands of car companies. This percentage is significantly higher than for the used market for petrol and diesel cars (67%).
More and more exports
Zooming in on vehicle exports shows that here, too, there is increasing interest in electric cars. For instance, relatively many plug-in hybrids are becoming available from leasing, many of which are exported. At the same time, more and more used electric vehicles are actually being imported, reflecting the growing interest in all-electric vehicles. Almost 1,400 used ones were imported in the first half of 2020, which is 72% more than a year earlier.
Finally, VWE Automotive points to the information customers seek about an electric vehicle. This information turns out to be different from a petrol car. For example, consumers look strongly at the range of an electric vehicle. Among other things, the type of power in the specific version of a vehicle and options for leasing batteries separately pique buyers' interest. However, also consider charging capacity and type of plug.
The growing interest in electric driving is also evident from recent figures from Pricewise, which conducted a survey of 1,000 respondents. Among other things, the survey shows that 31 per cent of Dutch motorists are considering switching to an electric vehicle within five years. By way of comparison, only 2 per cent of Dutch people currently drive electric vehicles.
950,076 units sold worldwide
Clean Technica also publishes figures from EV Volume on the global electric vehicle market. This shows that 950,076 electric vehicles were sold worldwide in the first half of 2020. These include a combination of fully electric vehicles and plug-in hybrids.
Tesla sold by far the most units with 179,050 vehicles. The company leaves the number two far behind. Volkswagen has to make do with 62,414 units sold, followed by BMW with 58,883 units. BYD follows with 57,482 vehicles. This means Tesla has delivered more electric or plug-in hybrid vehicles than Volkswagen, BMW and BYD combined.
Top 10 sold more than half
It is also notable that the 10 largest manufacturers together accounted for sales of 575,516 vehicles in the first half of 2020. With this, the top 10 sold more than half of the total number of electric vehicles and plug-in hybrids sold, reaching 950,076 units.
Clean Technica points out that several European carmakers are seeing a sharp rise in sales of electric vehicles and plug-in hybrids. The website attributes this to stricter CO2 regulations in Europe, something that is benefiting Renault, Volvo and Audi, among others.
Author: Wouter Hoeffnagel
