The VCÖ, Austria’s transport organisation similar to Britain’s AA or Germany’s ADAC, published data on electric vehicles registrations in the European Union in 2018 along with curious observations. With Norway set aside, the Netherlands registered the highest EV share, followed by Austria.

In the Netherlands, registrations of electric vehicles in 2018 accounted for 5.4 per cent of all listings, according to the VCÖ and data from the European Alternative Fuels Observatory (EAFO). Austria comes second with a share of 2% and shares this spot with Sweden and Portugal.

However, as the statistic focussed on members of the European Union, it ruled out Norway that continues to be miles ahead of its neighbouring countries. The country has by far the highest EV share at 31,2% when it came to registrations in 2018. Also, scarcely populated Iceland is strong with 4.2%.

Apart from counting the sheer number of electric passenger cars, the VCÖ adds curious observations. In Austria for example, rural areas sign responsible for a large part of the registrations, a development that may be unexpected for some that deem the segment decisively urban. The reason is that homes in the countryside typically have a garage and thus a charging opportunity. Moreover, many households own at least two cars, making it easier to substitute one (at first) for an electric vehicle.

In terms of the significant national differences in EV share, indications are that subsidies alone do not automatically lead to a higher market share, comprehensive general taxation does. The VCÖ uses the example of the Netherlands, where taxes for all motor vehicles progressively depend on CO2 emission. Moreover, highly pollutant company cars are particularly pricey there.

The VCÖ has been calling for a carbon tax in Austria for some time. The country updated its EV subsidy package this January, introducing a price cap for the 3,000 euro grant for both battery-electric and fuel cell vehicles reportedly.

– These are the numbers in detail as published by VCÖ (no. of electric cars in brackets, excl. CVs):

EU28: 0.9 % (147,556 EVs)

Netherlands: 5.4 % (23,938 electric cars)

Austria: 2.0 % (6,749)

Portugal: 2.0 % (4,479)

Sweden: 2.0 % ( 7,109)

France: 1.4 % (30,987)

Malta: 1.4 % (179)

Cyprus: 1.1 % (140)

Germany: 1.0 % (35,241)

Ireland: 1.0 % (1,237)

Luxembourg: 0.9 % (470)

Hungary: 0.9 % (1,277)

Belgium: 0.7 % (3,728)

Denmark: 0.7 % (1,460)

UK: 0.7 % (15,532)

Latvia: 0.7 % (112)

Finland: 0.6 % (776)

Slowenien: 0,6 Prozent (470)

Spain: 0.5 % (6,003)

Bulgaria: 0.4 % (125)

Estonia: 0.4 % (102)

Lithuania: 0.4 % (141)

Romania: 0.4 % (477)

Italy: 0.3 % (4,978)

Slowakia: 0.3 % (302)

Czech Republic: 0.3 % (699)

Croatia: 0.2 % (106)

Poland: 0.1 % (638)

Greece: 0.1 % (64)

vcoe.at (original source, in German)