This could be the year of Euro’s greener motoring
OVER the whole of 2014, plugin electric cars accounted for just 0.3 per cent of new car sales across the EU. However, over the first three months of this year, sales have seen a 117.9 per cent year- on-year increase.
But it’s not just electric cars: sales of hybrids and of natural gas powered vehicles are also up significantly. Hybrids, which mate a small diesel or petrol engine with a battery-powered motor for increased economy and reduced emissions saw sales of 56,704 between January and March -- a 21.4 per cent increase on 2014’s Q1 figures -- while 63,087 natural gas cars have been snapped up over the same period.
As for individual countries, the UK saw the biggest jump in demand for alternatively fuelled vehicles (+ 64.2 per cent), followed by France (up 33.9 per cent) and Italy (an 18.1 per cent increase).
The new figures, published on Thursday by the European Automotive Manufacturers Association ( EAMA), will be greatest as a positive sign within the industry as well as among consumers even if in total, the sales represent roughly 4 per cent of all new car registrations for the year so far. And that’s because the figures also show that interest in greener motoring is gaining momentum, and not before time.
As a result of progressively tighter Europe-wide legislation combined with a greater commitment from carmakers, new vehicle CO2 emissions have dropped significantly over the past 20 years to an average of 123.4g CO2/km.
“Thanks to huge efforts by European automobile manufacturers and billions of euros worth of investment in R& D, Europe’s cars currently meet the highest environmental standards in the world,” stated the ACEA Secretary General Erik Jonnaert. — Relaxnews