Plug-in registrations drop by nearly half
New registrations of vehicles with alternative powertrains rose 10 percent in April compared to the same month last year. In the first four months of this year, sales of new electric cars, hybrids with and without plugs, mild hybrids and gas-powered passenger cars grew 7 percent to about 382,000 vehicles.
With an increase of 34 percent, all-electric passenger cars grew the most in April, followed by unplugged hybrids, whose sales grew by 25 percent. With just under 204,000 registrations in the first four months, hybrids without plugs remained the highest-volume alternative drive type. They accounted for almost a quarter of all new passenger car registrations. Among the hybrids, 30,296 were full hybrids, 94 percent of which came from VDIK brands.
By contrast, sales of other alternative drive technologies were down in the first four months of this year. Plug-in hybrids recorded a slump of 45 percent with just over 49,000 new registrations. These vehicles will no longer be eligible for the environmental bonus from the beginning of 2023. Sales of passenger cars powered by natural gas or liquefied petroleum gas declined by more than 30 percent in each case.
The VDIK regularly updates the list of electric vehicles from international manufacturers. The VDIK member companies currently offer 200 electric models (passenger cars and commercial vehicles) that customers can order in Germany. The VDIK electric list can be accessed here.
In the overall passenger car market, alternative drive systems achieved a share of 44 percent since the beginning of the year, which is half a percentage point less than in the same period last year. Gasoline engines gained market share (37 percent), while diesels declined further to 19 percent.
| April | January – April | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| +/- (%) | +/- (%) | Share of total car market |
Market share VDIK (%) |
||||
| BEV | 29,740 | 34 | 124,476 | 18 | 14 | 34 | |
| PHEV | 11,787 | -46 | 49,332 | -45 | 6 | 34 | |
| FCEV | 24 | -49 | 88 | -41 | 0 | 77 | |
| Electric Vehicles (total) | 41,551 | -5 | 173,896 | -11 | 20 | 38 | |
| HEV including: |
47,681 | 0 | 203,917 | 30 | 23 | 41 | |
| full hybrid | 6,328 | 1 | 30,296 | 22 | 3 | 94 | |
| mild hybrid | 41,353 | 43 | 173,621 | 32 | 20 | 61 | |
| CNG | 153 | 63 | 503 | -31 | 0 | 71 | |
| LPG | 903 | 8 | 3,971 | -33 | 0 | 99 | |
| Alternative Drivetrains (total) | 90,288 | -2 | 382,287 | 7 | 44 | 38 | |
| Petrol | 76,519 | 18 | 325,069 | 14 | 37 | 40 | |
| Diesel | 36,138 | 2 | 162,398 | 1 | 19 | 32 | |
| for information: | |||||||
| Passenger car (total) | 202,947 | 13 | 869,765 | 8 | 38 | ||
Electric vehicles: BEV, PHEV und FCEV
BEV, Batterieelektrisches Fahrzeug, engl: Battery Electric Vehicle
PHEV, Plug-In-Hybrid, engl: Plug-In Hybrid Electric Vehicle
FCEV, Brennstoffzellenfahrzeug / Wasserstofffahrzeug, engl.: Fuel Cell Electric Vehicle
Hybride, Hybrid ohne Stecker bzw. nicht aufladbar, engl.: Hybrid Electric Vehicle
CNG, Gasförmiges Erdgas, engl: Compressed Natural Gas
LPG, Flüssiggas bzw. Autogas, engl: Liquified Petroleum Gas
Models with a maximum e-motor output of 20 KW are classified as mild hybrids, while full hybrids have a maximum e-motor output of more than 20 KW.