While China and North America maintained their solid growth in electric vehicle sales, Europe was weighed down by the increasing political and economic changes facing the German motor company.
Last year turned out to be a record exercise for the electric vehicles (VE), with global electric vehicle sales of battery (EBV) and plug-in hybrids that increased by 25% until reaching 17.1 million units, according to Rho Motion.
December 2024 was the fourth consecutive month of record sales, with more than 1.9 million units sold globally. This meant a 5% increase compared to November.
Sales soar in China, grow in North America and fall in Europe
The continued growth of the Chinese electric vehicle market also contributed to last year’s strong performance, with EV sales in China that they shot up 40% reaching 11 million units compared to the previous year. This was mainly due to the significant government incentives and subsidies given to EV manufacturers.
Similarly, in Canada and the United Statesmarket share increased by 9% up to 1.8 million units in 2024, supported by incoming US President Donald Trump’s plans to cut vehicle tax credits.
However, the european market of electric vehicles continued to have some difficulties. Sales in the EU, the European Free Trade Association (EFTA) and the United Kingdom fell 3% up to 3 million units, compared to the previous year.
The reduction in government tax exemptions contributed to the decline in sales in Germanywhich caused a decline in sales of electric vehicles in Europe. He United Kingdom It also overtook Germany to take the crown as Europe’s largest battery electric vehicle market last year.
The elimination of subsidies in Germany drags down the European market and serves as a warning to the US.
Charles Lester, chief data officer at Rho Motion, said in a news release on the company’s website: “After the record year for electric vehicle sales in 2023, we enter 2024 with some optimism about the market despite the headwinds. While overall the global market has boomed, growing by a quarter over the year, regional disparities also have increased. The European market has contracted by 3% and that of China has grown by 40%.
“What is clear is that the government’s carrots and sticks are working. In North America, the 9% growth can be attributed mainly to consumer subsidies and, in the United Kingdom, the ZEV mandate (acronym for the initiative ‘zero emission vehicle’) has greatly encouraged manufacturers to promote their low-emission cars. the elimination of subsidies in Germany had a devastating impact on the entire European market; If the United States follows suit, we may see the same thing there.”
Corporate giants continue to bet heavily on electric vehicles
Much of the electric vehicle sales seen recently have come from corporate or fleet salesand many key companies have placed large orders for electric vehicles in recent years.
UK telecommunications giant BT recently announced a large fleet order of 3,500 electric vehicleswhich represents one of the largest commercial requests in the country. The company is expected to have nearly 8,000 electric vehicles in operation when this latest order is completed in 2026.
Simon Lowth, BT Group’s chief financial officer, said in a press release on the company’s website: “By integrating even more electric vehicles into our operations, we are taking another significant step towards reducing our carbon footprint and supporting the UK transition to a greener future.
“As we expand our full fiber buildout from 16 million homes and businesses today to 25 million by the end of 2026, having the most efficient and sustainable electric vehicles will give our engineers the edge as they connect customers at an accelerated pace with our next-generation networks. Our modern fleet will help us become more. efficient and offer better service to our customers.
amazon He also revealed that on Tuesday he placed his largest order for electric trucks. The company will add more than 200 eActros 600 Mercedes-Benz Trucks to its transport network in Europe later this year. Andreas Marschner, vice president of Sustainability for Amazon’s Worldwide Operations, said in a press release on the company’s website: “This order for more than 200 electric trucks underscores our commitment to being a leader in the electrification of heavy transport of goods in Europe”.
“It is Amazon’s largest electric heavy truck order to date anywhere in the world, and is an important step in our work to achieve our climate commitment to achieve net carbon emissions zero in all our operations for 2040“.
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