The figures are expected to increase further in the coming years, but they are already impressive: in the first quarter of this year, almost one in three vehicles (31.3%) was equipped with an electrified drive. Of which 9.3% for 100% electric, the rest being hybrid, rechargeable or not.
A certain increase – we were at 4.9% of 100% electric vehicles newly registered in 2020 – favored by policies regarding the electrification of company vehicle fleets: in 2026, only zero-emission vehicles may still be tax deductible . Result: 86.2% of 100% electric cars sold in the first quarter were registered by companies.
Individuals remain largely in the background. In question: prices often higher than those of thermal motorization (between 10 to 20% more on average) but also autonomy considered too low by some motorists.
If the former should decrease in the coming years, the latter is already improving. Not a day goes by without a car manufacturer unveiling a new model with a battery with increased autonomy. From 50 km at the beginning of the millennium, we had increased to 211 km on average in 2015 and 338 km in 2020. For brands specializing in electrics, the increase is even more obvious: from 426 km in 2012 to 663 km last year, for the Tesla Model S.
With the evolution of technologies, the autonomy of electric vehicles should explode. And not necessarily in ten years. Recently, the Mercedes group exceeded the symbolic 1,000 km mark by 8 km during tests carried out with the Vision EQXX concept car driving at the maximum authorized speed and even pushing to peaks at 140 km / h. All in cold and rainy weather, but with, all the same, extremely streamlined aerodynamics and with narrow wheels, limiting friction on the bitumen.
An experience that could shake the myth of an electric car cut for short trips. In the not so distant future, it should be possible to go to the south of France, without recharging.