We knew that Electric and hybrid cars made historic breakthroughs in France last year but we have still been waiting to see the extent of this progress in Europe. The Association of European Manufacturers (ACEA) has just published its results and appears to confirm the turnaround that the automotive industry has heralded in the old continent. If everything in France doesn’t seem to be ready for this great change, this is it Car insurance quickly adapted to him.
In France, as in Europe, electricity sales have doubled
ACEA’s observation at the beginning of the year is clear: The sales of electric vehicles simply doubled in 2020while those of plug-in hybrid cars have triple. In detail these are 538,772 electric cars which were registered in Europe last year 507.059 plug-in hybrids.
As a reminder, France largely contributed (for around a fifth) to this continental growth, as more clean vehicles were registered overall, according to the Automobile Clean website more than 110,000 in 2020. A real boom, because in 2019 half as many battery-powered cars had won over drivers: 42,700.
France, Germany and Italy as market leaders
Among our neighbors, alongside us, Germany and Italy are making the greatest strides in this market. It is also a record across the Rhine that was broken in 2020: almost 200,000 Electric cars (194,163) were sold. But while our national sales have more than doubled In Germany they have tripled over a year (63,500 electric cars registered in 2019).
However, it is actually a hexagonal car that sold the most among our German neighbors in 2020: the Renault ZOE as in France also and with similar quantities (30,390 ZOE sold in Germany and 37,400 by us). French rule, but from the next year onwards from the Volkswagen ID3, started last September and became the second best car in Europe in December, all engines combined, according to Jato Dynamics.
Still small amounts compared to the thermal …
For the European countries that have managed to take that green turn, it is an exercise that promises a disaster that has been partially avoided. The entire European market has actually been cut by a quarter of its sales through the coronavirus crisis, just like France, which has lost 25% of its registrations compared to 2019.
In fact, electric cars still weigh little in terms of overall sales: in France we talk about 110,000 vehicles out of 1.65 million passenger cars sold. Electricity has therefore not saved the European market, but offers the advantage of showing the way to growth in a particularly tortured time (France, for example, did not fall below the 1.7 million vehicles sold since 1972).
… but clean vehicles are more dynamic
As a symbol and promise, electric cars have also started to lose gasoline market share. In the fourth quarter of 2020 in particular, sales of heat engines fell 33.7% in Europe at 1.2 million copies. The same applies to diesel engines with a decrease of 23% to 731,000 units.
For comparison: In the same period, electricity sales in Europe rose by … 217% with almost 250,000 vehicles sold. With plug-in hybrids, the increase is even more pronounced: + 331% (227,000 copies). However, the best-selling models remain plug-in hybrids. At the end of last year, 435,000 units were registered, but a smaller increase (+ 105%).
A whole economy to rethink, but the auto insurance industry is already ready
If hybrids continue to sell more, for now, it’s because they are still selling one greater autonomy. In order for electricity to take the place it supposedly takes, various developments must follow, such as: Increase in the number of charging stations in Europewhich is not enough at the moment.
It is also a system of sanctions at European level (which penalizes manufacturers whose vehicles use the 95 grams of CO2 / km) as well as state aid (up to 12,000 euros in France and 9,000 euros in Germany) that artificially increase sales of more cars. “Green”.
In order for the sales increase to continue, the price of electric vehicles must also fall in the direction of thermal (without help or bonus), so that their performance improves and the infrastructures adapt. The good numbers for 2020 therefore appear less a promise than a challenge.. At the moment, the insurance sector is one of those that have adapted best to this development. because the insurance of an electric vehicle does not cost more than a thermal vehicle.
