Clean Energy Wire — 2023-05-30
Automotive Industry
New cars registered in the first four months of 2023 are on average emitting significantly more CO2 than those registered in 2022, writes public broadcaster ARD. Data from Germany’s Federal Motor Transport Authority (KBA) showed that the average CO2 value for new German passenger cars registered from 2023 January to 2023 April was 123.2 grams per kilometre. In contrast, the average for 2022 was only 109.6 grams. The main reason for this is that the share of hybrid and electric cars in new registrations fell from 30% to 20%. This is likely due to the fact government subsidies for these vehicles have been cut, said industry expert Ferdinand Dudenhöffer. “This is where the fact that subsidies have been cut is taking its toll," he told ARD. “This has taken the air out of plug-in hybrids in particular, and they have slumped compared to the very strong previous year.”
2022 was a boom year for electric vehicles, with new registrations of battery car matching diesel cars for the first time ever.