Electric cars: 2021 will be the year of the electric car
IT'S GOING FORWARD The general conditions for electric cars are improving all the time. This is shown by a current study of the TCS. The 2021 edition of the TCS factsheet shows that electric cars are continuing to gain ground in Switzerland. The three best-selling 100% electric car models in Switzerland in 2020 were the Tesla Model 3, the Renault Zoe and the [...]
The three best-selling 100% electric car models in Switzerland in 2020 were the Tesla Model 3, the Renault Zoe and the Hyundai Kona.
But it is not only pure electric cars that are enjoying great popularity in Switzerland. Plug-in hybrids are also enjoying increasing popularity and accounted for 6.1 percent of all cars sold in 2020. This corresponds to a fourfold increase in market share compared to 2019 (1.4 percent).
The three best-selling plug-in hybrids in Switzerland in 2020 were the Volvo XC60 and XC40, followed by the BMW X1.
Subsidies or support measures
Switzerland is a good breeding ground for electric cars. With 23 cantons offering subsidies or support measures for electric vehicles and eight pure electric cars available for less than 35,000 Swiss francs, the conditions are in place for the boom in this type of car to continue in Switzerland in 2021 and beyond.
This is also shown by the annual TCS 2020 study on the subject: 53 percent of the Swiss plan to drive electrically in the future.
Popularity of electric cars in Switzerland
Several other factors also favor the popularity of electric cars in Switzerland. For one thing, the Swiss energy source mix leads to particularly low CO2 emissions of just 13.1 g per kilometer for purely electric cars. This value is three times lower than the EU average of 40.7 g.
This means that pure mid-range electric cars in Switzerland already emit fewer greenhouse gases than cars with internal combustion engines after an average of 30,000 kilometers; in 2019, this was only achieved after 40,000 kilometers.
Electrified vehicles become more economical
In addition to the favorable climate balance, the costs of purchasing, maintaining and using electric cars are falling continuously.
Among the five best-selling electric cars in Switzerland in 2020, the cheapest was the Renault Zoe, with a total cost of ownership of 75,038 Swiss francs for use over ten years and 150,000 kilometers, the equivalent of 50 centimes per kilometer.
The cheapest among the top 5 in 2019 was the BMW i3 (83,090 francs, 55 centimes per kilometer). The Tesla 3 now costs 100,920 francs for use over ten years compared to 104,880 in the previous year (or 67 centimes per kilometer compared to 70 centimes per kilometer).
The average cost per kilometer has also fallen by one centime compared to the previous year and is now 70 centimes per kilometer according to the TCS calculation for 2021.
