Market: Electricity and natural gas rolling in the trend
HIGH TIME The electrification of modern cars is progressing. Almost one in ten of the 19,437 new registrations in Switzerland and the Principality of Liechtenstein in August was for a vehicle with an alternative drive system. The number of electric and natural gas vehicles almost doubled year-on-year, resulting in a record 13.5 percent alternative share in August for a calendar month. This [...]
The number of electric and natural gas-powered vehicles almost doubled year-on-year, resulting in a record 13.5 percent alternative share in August for a single calendar month. This means that 22,353 or 11.1 percent of the 202,091 new passenger cars registered since the beginning of the year have an alternative drive system.
Electrified diesel units
While gasoline hybrids have been in vogue for some time, electrified diesel engines are now increasingly being used, and in August they accounted for 1.6 percent of the market. With the support of an electric motor, the already higher efficiency compared to a gasoline engine can be increased even further.
This often leads to noticeably lower CO2 emissions. Together with the market shares of electric vehicles (3.2 percent) and natural gas vehicles (0.6 percent), which have doubled in the space of a year, and two hydrogen fuel cell vehicles, the alternative drive systems account for 13.5 percent of the market in August.
Enthusiasm for the alternatives
The importers' association auto-schweiz is also pleased about this.
Christoph Wolnik: "By the end of August, more new cars with alternative drive systems had already been redeemed in the current year than in the whole of 2018. The alternatives have become the norm. We are seeing a stabilization in diesel demand, thanks in part to the increasing electrification of the compression-ignition engine. At the same time, electric vehicles are gaining in importance, and natural gas remains indispensable."
New exhaust gas procedure is in force
From September 1, 2019, the Euro 6d-TEMP emissions standard will come into force for all new passenger cars imported into Switzerland. Following the WLTP (Worldwide Harmonized Light Vehicle Test Procedure) test cycle, the measurement of so-called "Real Driving Emissions" during test drives on the road will now be introduced.
