Sales of electric vehicles declined all across Europe last month, with nearly every major EV supplier reporting a drop-off in public interest in the “eco-friendly” alternatives. The decrease in EV purchases, reflected in the American market as well, comes despite efforts by the European Union to ban all gas- and diesel-powered cars by the mid-2030s.
According to the European Automobile Manufacturers’ Association (ACEA), new vehicle registration dropped to 1.38 million units in March, and sales of battery-powered cars dropped by 11.3 percent. Only 13 percent of new vehicles registered in Europe were electric, down year-over-year from 13.9 percent in March 2023 and 14.6 percent from 2023 overall.
According to Bloomberg, this decrease in sales has led to first-quarter drop-offs for popular EV makers including Volkswagen, Mercedes-Benz, Tesla, and Stellantis, leading many manufacturers to reconsider their plans to phase out gas-powered cars. The EU had previously committed to ban the sale of all new gas vehicles by 2035, but that lofty goal may now be in jeopardy.
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However, this phenomenon is not limited to Europe.
In the United States, where the Biden administration has likewise committed to phasing out gas-powered cars by the 2030s, these same companies have seen a notable decline in both public interest and sales, indicating that consumers remain skeptical about the viability of EV models long-term.
At the same time, the necessary infrastructure to support the EV shift has not materialized. As Valuetainment previously reported, though President Joe Biden once boasted of a goal to build 500,000 EV charging stations in the US—even setting aside a $7.5 billion investment to fund the construction—fewer than 10 have actually been built since he took office in 2021.
Connor Walcott is a staff writer for Valuetainment.com. Follow Connor on X and look for him on VT’s “The Unusual Suspects.”
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