 |
Despite being touted as the future of transportation, electric vehicles (EVs) in Germany are facing a significant backlash, with new statistics revealing that 34% of EV owners have opted to return to combustion engine vehicles in 2024. This trend raises critical questions about the long-term viability of the EU’s ambitious plan to ban all combustion engines by 2035. As dissatisfaction with electric vehicle performance mounts, the implications for the market, government policy, and environmental goals become increasingly complex. With only 2.9% of the German car market comprised of electric vehicles and a decline in interest from traditional car buyers, the shift back to gasoline and diesel vehicles highlights a growing disconnect between policy intentions and consumer experiences.
While electric vehicles are described as the wave of the future, new troubling statistics from Germany’s largest auto insurance company show that many electric vehicle owners may be very unsatisfied with the performance of their vehicles.
The data from Huk-Coburg shows that 34 percent of all electric car owners switched back to a combustion automobile when purchasing a new vehicle so far this year. With Germany serving as the largest automobile market in Europe, this data is sure to raise questions about the EU’s new law that will completely ban combustion engines for all new vehicles by 2035.
Last year, 28 percent switched back to gas or diesel engines from electric vehicles, while in 2022, this figure was 17.5 percent. The year before, it was 14.2 percent. Despite claims that the technology will only improve over time, it appears that each year more and more Germans are making the switch back to combustion engines.
Many of the Germans who initially dipped their toes into the electric vehicle revolution certainly did not do so because of any mandates. Many may have been lured to electric vehicles, including subsidies offered by the German government for e-car purchases, environmental concerns, the novelty and status presented by these vehicles, and other desirable features seen in higher-end vehicles such as Tesla. In short, many of these people went into their electric car purchase with an open mind and perhaps even enthusiasm for what they saw as the future of automobile transportation.
The fact that these early adopters are opting out means that future waves of motorists who are actually “forced” by legal means to abandon combustion vehicles may be outraged if their electric vehicles do not offer the performance they have come to expect.
EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen (CDU) was instrumental in pushing through a ban on combustion engines by 2035. However, the current government led by the Social Democrats, Greens and Liberals (FDP) have thoroughly supported the so-called “climate-friendly transport transition.”
However, car buyers completely reject this trend, according to the data. In the other direction, owners of combustion cars are purchasing electric vehicles at a record low rate since this data first started being tracked. Only 3.6 percent of combustion car buyers are making the switch to electric this year.
The electric car market in Germany is collapsing, falling to a new record low after a state subsidy was removed. Huk-Coburg notes that electric vehicles only make up 2.9 percent of the German car market.
Earlier this year, Sascha Coccorullo, head of strategy at ADAC SE, said that “the federal government’s goal of 15 million electric cars by 2030 is already impossible to achieve.”
Even optimistically, only “a stock of 8.6 million electric cars is possible” in 2030.
The rise and fall of electric vehicle popularity in Germany reflects broader global trends regarding the adoption of EV technology. While many consumers were initially attracted to EVs due to environmental benefits and government incentives, the reality of performance issues, range anxiety, and infrastructure challenges seems to be driving a growing number of drivers back to combustion engines. The data points — a significant increase in the percentage of switchbacks over recent years — signal potential trouble for Germany's ambitious targets. Furthermore, the impending ban on combustion engines could exacerbate dissatisfaction among those who feel forced into adopting technology that may not yet meet their expectations, potentially leading to public backlash against both car manufacturers and policymakers.