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6 Facts about electric cars

A hundred years ago, electric cars outnumbered their gasoline-powered counterparts on US roads. Read on to find out which country is currently leading the electric car field and which vehicle is less expensive to operate.

Around 1900: close to 34,000 electric cars in the United States

Electric cars were the focal point of the 2015 IAA automotive trade fair. However, the trend towards electrically powered vehicles is not a new phenomenon. Around 1900, 38 percent of the cars on America’s roads were electric. In the period from 1896 to 1939, there were no fewer than 565 different electric car brands registered worldwide.

2015: the number of electric cars in Germany surpasses the 10,000 mark for the first time

Although electric cars are still a rare sight on German roads, the number of electric vehicles being registered is constantly increasing. This year’s forecast for Germany is expected to be in the five figures for the very first time. The German Government has plans to increase the number of electric cars to one million by 2020.

Norway leads the European field

Germany is still lagging behind other European countries. In Norway, electric cars already account for one in six newly registered vehicles. In Germany, only 1 in 326 cars is electrically powered.

The most expensive part of an electric car is the battery

The high battery costs still create loss for manufacturers in producing electric cars. However, experts predict that battery costs will be halved by 2030.

Gasoline-powered or electric cars: which one is cheaper per kilometre?

Electric cars are expected to be much more cost-efficient per kilometre than their gasoline or diesel-powered counterparts. At the moment, the BMW i3 is the only electric car able to compete with a conventional model. It holds its own against a 1 series BMW with the same features and engine power. The i3 costs 53.1 cents/km, 4.7 cents less per kilometre than the gasoline-powered BMW 120i Urban Line, which costs 57.8 cents/km.

Battery warranties for up to eight years

A new electric car battery currently carries a warranty of between six and eight years. New batteries cost anywhere between EUR 7,000 and EUR 25,000, which is why a broken battery is tantamount to a total write-off once the warranty expires. At the same time, improvements are constantly being made to charging performance. In the future, induction charging stations will be able to charge electric cars without being physically attached to them.

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Information taken from Allianz Insurance Press News.