Sweden Plug-in Sales – Q3 & YTD 2015
As to be expected, the budget for green vehicle grants was exhausted (again) and Q3 growth was much less than for Q2, 25 %, compared to 55 % in Q2. PEV share backed from the 2,5 % peak in June to 1,8 % in September, in an otherwise strong light vehicle market, with over 10 % increase vs last year. Total 3 PEV sales were 1749 units for the quarter, including light commercial vehicles. Most PEV sales are to companies and organizations, incl. public ones. According to the Swedish Transport Directorate 90 - 95 % of the grants for low carbon vehicles ("Supermiljöbilspremie") were paid to legal entities. Private purchases of PEV are still counted in hundreds, not thousands.
Pure EVs gained
Pure electric vehicle gained ground, compared to 2014, when â…” rd of plug-in sales were plug-in hybrids. Strong growth of Tesla, Renault Zoe and BMW i3 and e-Golf contributed to the development. Year-to-date, 51 % of PEV sales were pure EVs. Progress was made on the charging infrastructure; the number of CCS/Chademo stations in Sweden more than tripled to about 130 locations within a year, making life easier for EV drivers.
A short term outlook is difficult for the reasons stated further down in this article. Mid-term a coming revision in the incentive regime will favor pure EVs, expecting buyer behavior to adapt to zero-emission concepts.
September sales
The September sales ranking reflects the 3rd quarter: The steady #1, Mitsubishi Outlander had another good month with 200 units sold, followed by Tesla as a strong #2. The Golf GTE, available since June, has displaced the Nissan Leaf from the 3rd position. The GTE sold 4 times more during Q3 than its sibling e-Golf, 175 vs 40 units; showing the current market preferences when a model is offered as EV and PHEV. The Leaf has lost some pace compared to the first half of 2015, sales are likely to pick up again when the long awaited battery package for more range becomes available.
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