BERLIN/FLENSBURG (dpa-AFX) - One in four cars newly registered in April features a pure electric powertrain. According to the Federal Motor Transport Authority (KBA), more than 64,300 such vehicles hit the roads - a 41.3 percent increase compared to the previous year. The share of total new car registrations stood at 25.8 percent.
According to consulting firm EY, this represented the third-highest market share ever recorded for battery electric vehicles (BEVs). EY suggests that the primary driver behind this trend is the new purchase premium, which is currently available exclusively to private buyers. This is supported by the fact that new registrations by private individuals rose by more than 8 percent year-on-year, while commercial registrations remained virtually flat.
Expert: EV sales set to slump after purchase premium expires
Overall, the number of new registrations in April rose by 2.7 percent compared to the same month last year, bolstered by the significant surge in electric vehicles. According to EY's analysis, other powertrain types saw a combined decline of six percent. New registrations for pure gasoline engines dropped by 20 percent, while diesel passenger cars fell by 14 percent.
'Once the subsidies expire, electric vehicle sales will slump again,' predicts EY expert Constantin Gall. He noted that the general framework for the new car market remains highly unfavorable. 'The economy is faltering, the willingness to invest among both companies and private individuals is low, and hopes for an imminent economic turnaround or positive political and economic impulses are fading,' Gall stated in a press release. Instead, persistent geopolitical crises and armed conflicts continue to fuel uncertainty./nif/DP/jha
