Fabulous data released by the European Automobile Manufacturers Association. In August 2023, electric cars, BEVs, accounted for as much as 21 percent of the new car market in the European Union. In Europe as a whole (conquered by Norway, among others), it was 21.7 percent. Since the beginning of the year, these shares were 13.9 and 15.1 percent, respectively. The second place on the podium is increasingly desperately defended by hybrids (HICE) – in August they had 24.1 percent.
Electric cars are beginning to threaten hybrids. And there is no turning back from it
Internal combustion cars interest us only moderately, but we have made an exception for hybrids because we have a special classification to deal with. Well, HICE (formerly: HEV) in ACEA’s list also includes mHICE, pseudo-hybrids, equipped with a microscopic battery and a crankshaft-assist motor that does not allow pure electric driving. ACEA is an association of manufacturers, so it makes a nod to them, because in reality mHICE should rather be classified as ICE, internal combustion-only cars.
And in that very ranking, which favors companies selling combustion cars as hybrids, the market share of the various powertrains in Europe in August 2023 was as follows:
- petrol – 33 percent, of which in the European Union = 32.7 percent,
- all hybrids not charged from a socket (mHICE + HICE) – 24.1 percent, with EU = 23.9 percent,
- electric cars (BEVs) – 21.7 percent, in EU = 21 percent,
- Diesel – 11.5 percent, in EU = 12.5 percent,
- plug-in hybrids (PHICE) – 7.5 percent, in EU = 7.4 percent,
- others, including CNG, LPG, hydrogen/FCEV, etc. – 2.2 percent, in EU = 2.5 percent.
The breakdown from January to August 2023 for Europe is as follows:
- petrol – 36.8 percent, in EU = 36.5 percent,
- all hybrids not charged from a socket (mHICE + HICE) – 25.6 percent, in EU = 24.9 percent,
- electric cars (BEVs) – 15.1 percent, in EU = 13.9 percent,
- Diesel – 12.6 percent, in EU = 14.2 percent,
- plug-in hybrids (PHICE) – 7.4 percent, in EU = 7.4 percent,
- other – 2.5 percent, in EU = 3 percent.
