Since the beginning of the year, Germany has overtaken Norway by electric car sales.

During November, 57 533 new electric vehicles were registered in Germany, compared with 56 893 in Norway, according to statistics published by transport agencies of both countries.

"The electric model offensive of the German manufacturers is in full swing," Bernhard Mattes, head of the country VDA auto lobby, said last week.

German automakers will triple their electric car offerings to 150 models by 2023 and invest 50 billion euros by 2024, he said.

But while carmakers are only making plans for the future, we can see the real situation. According to the CleanTechnica chart, from January to October 2019 the Tesla Model 3 takes 3rd place in popularity among cars in Germany.

Image source: CleanTechnica

Norway and Germany have been neck-and-neck in electric-car sales this year. Norway held the upper hand for most of 2019, with Germany gaining momentum in recent months.

Statistics published Monday by the Norwegian Road Federation OFV show sales in November of new battery powered cars fell 27% to 3,697.

In Germany, the number increased 9.1% to 4,651, according to data last week from the country's Federal Motor Transport Authority, or KBA.

Even with last month's increases, however, electric vehicles remain a small part of overall sales and the greening of Germany's car fleet still has a long way to go.

Across Europe, sales of electric cars made up just 3.1% of new registrations in the third quarter, according to the European Automobile Manufacturers Association.

Before the latest numbers, Germany was already a regional leader when taking into account plug-in hybrid and full-electric cars.

It's now displaced Norway for both types of electrified vehicles.

Other countries will follow as consumers in the region adopt e-cars, according to Matthias Schmidt, a Berlin-based independent automotive analyst.

"The Norwegian electric passenger-car market is currently a very large fish in a tiny European electrified pond, helped by the generous comparative fiscal benefits," he said.

Tesla sales in Germany in November rose 130% in 2019 compared to November 2018. In general, Tesla sales growth from January to November 2019 amounted to 432%, compared with 2018, according to the KBA.

Source: KBA

Tesla’s influence on the German market is hard to overestimate. Due to the fact that Tesla announced plans to build its factory in Germany, the local automakers significantly changed their policy regarding the production of electric cars.

For example, the Volkswagen Group Supervisory Board reviewed and approved the new Five-Year Investment Plan (2020–2024) for its development in the field of electrification and digital technology. Costs increased from 44 billion euros to 60 billion euros.

The German government has also sweetened cash incentives for electrified cars as part of a large-scale climate package. The benefits would start on cars costing less than 40,000 euros, which Schmidt said should fuel demand for more affordable models.

Featured image: rttnews