Electric cars are the future. This sentence hears. Is often read. Nevertheless, e-cars do not currently have an easy standing. Are only hesitantly accepted by German consumers. With a subsidy of €4,000, the state actually provides a good incentive for the purchase of such a climate-friendly vehicle.
Why is it that the sales of e-cars in the self-proclaimed "car nation Germany" are so low? Falls far short of the expectations and goals of the German government? Finally, e-cars offer enormous advantages, especially in inner-city operation. In this article, we will look at the background, and weigh the advantages and disadvantages of e-cars and gasoline-powered cars against each other!
Here's what you can expect in this article:
Sales figures in Europe to date
German e-car market picks up
Advantages of an e-car
Disadvantages of an e-car
The e-car and the photovoltaic system
Conclusion
Sales figures in Europe to date
Although it is the plan of the German government to gradually increase the share of e-cars in Germany and to declare war on conventional combustion engines, sales have remained extremely low in recent years. In recent years, for example, only around 7.000 vehicles sold annually. This means that conventional diesels or gasoline-powered cars continue to be significantly more popular than innovative electric cars. In other European countries the picture is different. Norway is leading the way with a share of over 20% in a European comparison. However, Switzerland, the Netherlands and also Sweden can also put significantly more e-cars on the market each year.
But what is the reason that the German electric car market has so far lagged so far behind the European market?? The answer is simple: Until now, government subsidies in Germany have been too low. Further Western nations such as the Netherlands, but also the United Kingdom, have so far offered greater financial incentives to potential buyers. Especially Norway, which was able to increase the market share of e-cars to 35% last year, made the purchase particularly attractive financially.
German e-car market picks up
But in Germany, too, the government has now taken steps to finally make the purchase of an electric vehicle more attractive. For example, since May 2016, the buyer of an e-car has received a government subsidy of up to 4.000€. In addition, the driver is exempt from vehicle tax for a period of 10 years. In this way, the current usually high acquisition costs of an e-car should be compensated for. However, the regulation only applies to vehicles that are up to 60.000€ costs. Electric vehicles in the luxury class, such as those from Tesla, therefore receive no subsidy. Nevertheless, the subsidy pot is well filled with €1.2 billion, which means that it can be increased to up to 300.000 electric cars laid out.
The measure now appears to be having an effect. The share of e-cars in Germany jumped above the 1 percent mark for the first time and now stands at 1.2 percent. In the first quarter of this year, 10.328 electric cars registered. This is almost twice as many as in the previous year. Still up to 30.06.In 2019, interested parties can benefit from the German government's attractive subsidy program. However, once the subsidy pot is empty, there are no more subsidies for the time being. So it pays to be fast!
Advantages of an e-car
Yet an electric car offers its driver many advantages. The decisive factor for many buyers is the environmental aspect. Due to the absence of an internal combustion engine, an electric car produces significantly less CO2, is therefore almost emission-free and thus environmentally friendly. The vehicle can also be driven without the wind. Steering the tire wear almost silently over the roads. Electric cars are much quieter than conventional gasoline-powered vehicles and can significantly reduce noise levels on highways, but especially in inner-city areas. This ultimately benefits not only the environment, but also residents and passers-by.
Due to the absence of an internal combustion engine, however, the vehicles are also more energy-efficient, as at around 85% they are significantly more efficient than conventional gasoline engines, which average 35%. In this way, a gasoline-powered car usually has to expend significantly more energy to cover the same distance under the same conditions, which has a negative impact on wear and tear and thus on maintenance costs. In this context, electric cars are therefore significantly less vulnerable.
An electric car is therefore the right solution for those who want to do something good for the environment and benefit from the technology of the future. For example, the Swedish car manufacturer Volvo recently announced that from 2019, each of its motor vehicles will be equipped with an electric drive, heralding the gradual end of the conventional diesel or gasoline internal combustion engine. Other well-known manufacturers such as Mercedes Benz, BMW and Audi have already been researching new technologies for the production of electrically powered cars for years and will follow Volvo's example in the long run.
Disadvantages of an e-car
However, the purchase of an electric car currently offers more than just advantages. The currently still very high purchase price is one of the main reasons why many potential buyers are reluctant to buy an electric car. Due to the low sales figures to date, the prices for e-cars are relatively high compared to gasoline-powered cars in the same performance class. In addition, the range of e-cars is comparatively short, as they can usually cover less distance than conventional vehicles due to the limited capacity of the battery. In addition, such batteries may have to be replaced after a period of around 5 years, as they can lose power.
Last but not least, the infrastructure of the e-charging stations and the comparatively long charging time for the vehicle's battery deter many potential buyers. However, these points can be countered by a number of factors. For example, the price of e-cars is steadily falling, due in no small part to rising sales figures. Here, too, prices follow the simple model of the free market: the more vehicles are bought, the more are produced, the more automated the production process becomes, and the cheaper the vehicles become.
The lower range plays a subordinate role in reality. Studies have shown that around 80% of Europeans travel far less than 100 km per day in everyday life. Often the E-car is finally used only for the inner-city way to work or small purchases, which are less than 60 km to be accounted for. However, modern e-cars currently have ranges of over 400 km. And long-distance drivers can also look forward to a remedy: just recently, the German government made around 200 million euros in subsidies available to set up around 5,000 more e-rapid-charging stations and to promote the Infrastructure problem for e-car owners in the future.
The e-car and the photovoltaic system
Although the charging process of e-cars in particular still offers some potential for improvement in the future, photovoltaic system operators in particular can already benefit fully from the advantages. Nowadays, anyone who owns a PV system is no longer looking for a return on investment, but wants to achieve the highest possible level of self-consumption. Here, modern e-charging columns, such as the Mennekes Wallbox Amtron Premium 22 C2 can be helpful, as they use the solar power generated by the system to charge their own electric car with electricity. In this way, the e-car can be charged overnight in the garage without you having to go in search of a charging station!
The best thing about it is: You increase your own consumption in this way, thus using more of your valuable solar power and saving electricity costs for the "refueling" in this way of your e-car! The devices can be installed when a new photovoltaic system is installed, but can also be easily retrofitted, meet the latest quality and safety standards and are usually suitable for both pure electric vehicles and hybrid models. Especially in connection with an electricity storage, like the Tesla Powerwall 2, so such an acquisition is not only sensible, but even extremely profitable!
Conclusion
E-cars are rightly the vehicles of the future. Due to the low carbon dioxide emissions, but also the low noise level, they are particularly environmentally friendly and can massively change the cityscape in the coming years. They can make cities cleaner and quieter in the future, which will improve the quality of life enormously in the long term.