A record is established when more than 12% of electric cars are sold in the European Union

The electric vehicles represented 12.1% of new car sales in the European Union (EU) in 2022, a record proportion in the bloc, which in 2035 will ban the sale of new cars from gasoline Y diesel.

In a sector slowed down since the pandemic and still suffering from supply problems, sales of electric cars rose 28% compared to 2021 and totaled more than 1.1 million units last year, according to data released this Wednesday by the Association of European Manufacturers (ACEA).

Electric vehicles represented 12.1% of new car sales throughout the year 2022, compared to 9.1% in 2021 and 1.9% in 2019, said that entity in a statement.

The German market played an important role in the increase. Sales accelerated at the end of the year in the first European economy, before the bonuses for the purchase of these vehicles were lowered.

The Italian market was the only one where sales of new electric cars fell, by 26.9%.

Non-rechargeable hybrids also continued to grow (+8.6%) and already represent 22.6% of sales in the EU, with just over two million copies sold.

Sales of plug-in hybrids -vehicles with a gasoline or diesel engine and a small plug-in rechargeable electric motor- slowed for the first time, with sales increasing 1.2% to 874,182 units.

In total, electric cars (hybrid and 100% electric) have exceeded sales of gasoline cars since the end of 2021, which represented 36.4% of sales in 2022, with almost 3.3 million units.

The European Commission plans to ban sales of new gasoline and diesel cars from 2035.

A perspective in which manufacturers have strengthened their offer and also their sales of electric and hybrid vehicles, with rates that are high.

Diesel, affected by a decreasing supply among manufacturers, continued to fall (-19.7% in 2022), with 1.5 million units sold.

The car, the first means of transport for Europeans, represents a little less than 15% of CO2 emissions in the European Union.

Expensive prices

“We are moving fast, more than other sectors”said the general director of Renault and new president of ACEA, Luca de Meo, who stressed that “This transition cannot be limited to the automotive sector”.

De Meo highlighted the need to install more charging sockets, installations of which are limited to 2,000 per week in the EU, well below the 14,000 required by sector.

European manufacturers are investing some 250 billion euros in electric models, Luca de Meo noted.

The president of the ACEA recognized that according to the prices it is rather the households “rich” those who are buying these vehicles, a situation that according to him should change as electric cars become more widespread.

And although the sector leader, Tesla, sharply reduced its rates at the beginning of 2023, neither Renault nor Volkswagen want to enter into a price war within a sector that is currently very juicy.

“In the end, everyone tries to protect their margins. Launching a price war right when we launch operations is not the best thing that can happen to the market. We need to invest”De Meo stressed.

(With information from AFP)