COBURG (dpa-AFX) - The vast majority of private car owners in Germany are still steering clear of electric vehicles when buying a new car: in the first quarter, the share of purely electric cars in the private vehicle fleet was only three percent, according to an analysis by HUK Coburg, with quarter-on-quarter growth of just 0.1 percent.
Skepticism prevails
"Electric cars are hardly making any headway in the crucial private market," said HUK CEO Klaus-Jürgen Heitmann. The figures refer exclusively to battery-powered, fully electric cars; hybrid engines are not included. The source is the company's own data: With over 14 million vehicles, the insurance company is the market leader in car insurance in Germany, with a six-figure number of private car owners registering new vehicles each year. There are considerable regional differences: in Bavaria, Lower Saxony, and Baden-Württemberg—states with a strong automotive industry—the share of electric cars is more than twice as high as in Saxony-Anhalt and Saxony.
In its "E-Barometer," the company only considers privately insured vehicles. In contrast, the registration statistics of the Federal Motor Vehicle Authority also include all types of company vehicles, from executive cars to rental cars.
Used car market for electric cars is growing
According to the "E-Barometer," one reason for the slow pace of new electric car adoption could be the growing used car market: When switching from combustion engines to electric motors, 61 percent of buyers opted for a used electric car in the first quarter, while only 39 percent chose a new car.
Many drivers are wary of used electric cars
In addition to analyzing insurance data, a representative Yougov survey of 4,222 participants over the age of 18 was conducted. According to the survey, a majority remain skeptical about fully electric cars: 42 percent consider electric cars to be good or very good vehicles, while 51 percent consider them to be less good or not good at all. And only 15 percent said that, in principle, they would only consider buying an electric car. Sixty percent said they would have greater reservations about buying a used electric car than a car with a combustion engine. /cho/DP/zb
