The Age of Electric Cars Is Dawning Ahead of Schedule

Authored by nytimes.com and submitted by speckz
image for The Age of Electric Cars Is Dawning Ahead of Schedule

FRANKFURT — An electric Volkswagen ID.3 for the same price as a Golf. A Tesla Model 3 that costs as much as a BMW 3 Series. A Renault Zoe electric subcompact whose monthly lease payment might equal a nice dinner for two in Paris.

As car sales collapsed in Europe because of the pandemic, one category grew rapidly: electric vehicles. One reason is that purchase prices in Europe are coming tantalizingly close to the prices for cars with gasoline or diesel engines.

At the moment this near parity is possible only with government subsidies that, depending on the country, can cut more than $10,000 from the final price. Carmakers are offering deals on electric cars to meet stricter European Union regulations on carbon dioxide emissions. In Germany, an electric Renault Zoe can be leased for 139 euros a month, or $164.

Electric vehicles are not yet as popular in the United States, largely because government incentives are less generous. Battery-powered cars account for about 2 percent of new car sales in America, while in Europe the market share is approaching 5 percent. Including hybrids, the share rises to nearly 9 percent in Europe, according to Matthias Schmidt, an independent analyst in Berlin.

Lessthanzerofucks on September 21st, 2020 at 16:29 UTC »

As if gasoline isn’t subsidized already....

Underwaterbob on September 21st, 2020 at 16:29 UTC »

I live on Jeju-Do in South Korea. Over half the electric vehicles registered in the entire country are registered here. Just driving down the highway daily, I'd estimate 1 in 5 vehicles is electric. Hyundai Kona, SM3, and Ioniq, Kia Niro, Soul and Porter, Chevy Bolt, Nissan Leaf, BMW i3, some smaller smart cars, and a smattering of Teslas (wickedly overpriced here.) There are charging stations everywhere. It's amazing to see, and I hope the rest of the world catches up soon. Though admittedly they're more viable here given the island is only a two-hour drive tip to tip.

newtonrox on September 21st, 2020 at 15:03 UTC »

“For traditional car companies, this is all very scary. Internal combustion engines have not changed fundamentally for decades, but battery technology is still wide open.”