E-car switch collapses: HUK-E-barometer shows alarming (back) development!

E-car switch collapses: HUK-E-barometer shows alarming (back) development!

Coburg, Deutschland - Coburg (ots)

Electromobility in Germany does not take up the usual wind, as current data of the new HUK-E barometer show. Because the switch from classic combustion engines to electric vehicles has stalled sharply in recent months. A worrying trend that is primarily exacerbated by the elimination of the state purchase bonus at the end of 2023. The numbers speak a clear language: In the period from July to September 2024, only a lean share of 3.9 percent switched to electrical drives. This is a decline of almost 40 percent compared to the previous quarter.

In order to better understand this negative trend, the HUK-E-barometer not only includes the changeover rate, but also a nationwide representative survey on the intentions of the population. Almost half of the respondents negatively evaluate pure electric cars and only about 34 percent of previous electric car drivers do not switch back to an electric car the next time. In Bavaria, the highest distribution of electric cars is determined, while in federal states such as Saxony-Anhalt and Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, the electric car has a much lower market share.

decline in the change rate

An alarming value are the surrounding of vehicles with combustion engine on an electric drive. This has recently fallen from 6.2 percent to only 3.9 percent, while the average value for 2024 is only 3.6 percent. This number is in a strong contrast to the broader range of electric vehicles that is now available on the market. The changeover rate therefore shows a fundamental acceptance problem if only three out of a hundred changers switch to the new drive type.

It is particularly noticeable that only 2.9 percent of the total vehicle population are privately owned are electric cars, a number that gives little reason to hope that this development will soon turn back. The collective intention to buy has remained almost unchanged since 2021, and the latest data show that only every fifth German is planning to buy a pure electric car. This number is significantly higher among the younger respondents over the age of 40, while older respondents are much more skeptical.

regional differences and owner behavior

The analysis by the HUK-E barometer also reveals regional differences. Bavaria leads with the highest change rate, while the final lights of Saxony-Anhalt and Saxony have only a fraction of it. These results indicate that not only technical and financial incentives are decisive for switching to electromobility, but also the social environment and the availability of infrastructure.

A look at the behavior of the current electric car drivers shows that about a third of them want to switch back to combustion engines the next time they change the vehicle. This is a dramatic departure from the previous trends in which electric car drivers remained true to the new drive. The change rate of hybrid drivers to purely electrical vehicles is also low, which makes optimism that leads the previous hybrid drivers to switch more and more to electric drives.

The HUK-E barometer is based on extensive data analyzes and an online survey of 4,147 people and thus reveals both acceptance and the spread of electromobility in Germany. These developments are still closely observed in order to keep a clear overview of the progress and challenges in electromobility. Future measures and possible initiatives are necessary to convince the population of the advantages of electromobility and to increase acceptance sustainably.