Around 20,000 electric cars are currently registered in Lower Austria. At the end of 2021, cars with purely electric drives accounted for 1.4 percent of the total number of automobiles in Lower Austria. “In the meantime it should be two percent,” estimates Christian Gratzer from the Austrian Traffic Club (VCÖ).
Nationwide, new passenger car registrations for e-cars fell by 5.6 percent in the first half of 2022 compared to the same period last year, while in Lower Austria there was an increase of 4.4 percent. New registrations were particularly high in the Zwettl district, where every fifth registered new car is already electric – more on that in The Zwettl district has the highest plus for e-cars (noe.ORF.at; 18.07.2022).
“E-cars are far more economical than combustion engines”
Although electricity costs have risen sharply recently, experts do not expect the e-car boom to stagnate. Because a 100-kilometer journey in an electric car still costs around three to eight euros, while petrol or diesel costs 14 euros, explains ÖAMTC e-mobility expert Marcella Kral.
The federal association eMobility Austria estimates that the current electricity price would have to increase fourteen times so that a combustion engine vehicle might be driven more cheaply than an electric car. “Currently, the e-car is far more economical than a combustion engine,” emphasizes the CEO of eMobility Austria, Helmut-Klaus Schimany.
Used car share is 2.5 percent
Market analyst Rainer Hintermayer observes that the used car market for e-vehicles is now also developing. This year, 10,500 vehicles have already been traded nationwide on the used vehicle market. This means that the proportion of electric cars is only around 2.5 percent, but: “The number is constantly increasing.”
While up to now it has mainly been companies that have switched their fleets to electric, more and more private customers are now investing in electric cars, says Hintermayer. “Nearly 30 percent of registered e-cars are now used privately.” This is mainly due to the fact that more and more manufacturers are bringing new and, above all, cheaper models onto the market.
E-car more environmentally friendly from the fifth year
In terms of environmental compatibility, an electric car is more environmentally friendly than a combustion engine from 60,000 to 80,000 kilometers, according to Schimany. Because the production of an electric car consumes around one ton more CO2 than a conventional combustion engine. According to the VCÖ, the average driving behavior in Lower Austria is 13,300 kilometers per year. This would mean that an electric car following five years of operation would be more climate-friendly than a combustion engine.
