Good news in Europe: New data shows that electric cars and hybrids made up almost half of all new passenger car registrations in the European Union this year. While gas vehicles still hold nearly a third of the market, diesel rates took a dive.
The data tallies up sales on “electrified” vehicles, which include fully electric, plug-in hybrids, or full hybrids. Added up, it’s 47.6% of all new passenger car registrations in the EU from January through November, according to the European Automobile Manufacturers Association (ACEA) said. That’s up from 43% in the same period last year – a very modest improvement, but still something.
New car registrations have been on the rise in the EU for 16 straight months, with a year-on-year rise of 13.3% in the registration of electric vehicles. European consumers are favoring hybrid-electric vehicles, with a year-on-year rise of 28.7%. Meanwhile, plug-in hybrid electric cars, however, dropped 22.1% to 72,002 units last month.
In November, EU registration of EVs grew up 16.4%, with a total count of 144,378 vehicles. Among the biggest markets to add to the pot was Belgium, which saw 150.2% growth. Germany, however, EV sales dropped by 22.5%. Still, despite this, the year-to-date volume reached nearly 1.4 million units, reflecting a substantial 48.2% increase compared to the previous year, representing a 14.2% share of the EU car market in this period, the EAMA reports.
Petrol car registrations are still increasing by 4.2%, while diesel dropped by 10.3%. Countries seeing the largest decline were France, Spain, Italy, and Germany, with diesel cars representing 12.2% of market share, down from 14.5% in the same month last year.
Electrek’s Take
While the percentages have only slightly improved from last year on new car registrations being EVs, the trend is going in the right direction, and it’s nice to see diesel die out. Diesel cars held 50% of the market share in Europe in 2015, compared to 12.2% now. Obviously, electric cars are critical to the European Union meeting its climate goals, so we can only imagine these numbers are going to shift a lot more next year. For 2025, the EU is tightening its restrictions with a 15% reduction in CO2 emissions by 2025 for both cars and vans. From 2030, cars will see a 55% reduction in emissions (relative to a 2021 baseline), and vans will see a 50% reduction. By 2035, all new cars and vans registered in Europe will be zero-emission.
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Leading electric vehicle analyst, author, and industry thought leaders Loren McDonald and Bill Ferro stop by Quick Charge to discuss EV Adoption’s acquisition by Paren, the “crisis” of EV charging reliability, and the real state of the EV market.
Depending on who you listen, EVs are either driving brands to record growth and are about cross that critical 10% of the overall market nationwide, or the future is bleak, the market is down, and EVs just aren’t selling. What’s really going on? Loren and Bill (probably) have some answers.
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Chevy EV owners in Texas who have Reliant as their electric utility can now charge for free at night with renewable energy.
Over 150 Chevrolet dealerships across Texas are now offering the Reliant Free Charge Nights plan to new EV buyers. With Free Charge Nights, customers can offset their charging costs by receiving credits for electricity used between 11 pm and 6 am. The plan is powered entirely by renewable energy, thanks to the purchase of renewable energy certificates (RECs).
Rasesh Patel, president of NRG Consumer, says the plan is about making power personal: “We’re excited to help Chevrolet EV drivers offset the cost of charging their vehicle all while having access to a renewable electricity plan.”
This collaboration aims to make EV adoption more appealing by making charging cheaper and greener. GM Energy’s chief revenue officer, Aseem Kapur, emphasized that partnerships like this help build the ecosystem needed to support an all-electric future: “The Reliant Free Charge Nights plan is a great example of how an automaker and an energy company can work together to make EV adoption an easy decision.”
Existing Reliant customers can also sign up for the Free Charge Nights plan. To get started, Chevrolet EV owners need to designate their vehicle on the GM Energy Smart Charging Portal before enrolling in the plan.
Reliant Energy, a subsidiary of NRG Energy, serves over 1.5 million customers in Texas, making it one of the largest electricity providers in the state.
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Texas is about to get a major power boost – a new AI-powered virtual power plant (VPP) delivering capacity equivalent to 200,000 homes during peak demand.
NRG Energy is teaming up with Renew Home to bring nearly 1 gigawatt (GW) of capacity to the Texas grid by 2035, aiming to make it more resilient while helping residents save on energy costs.
The new VPP will rely on hundreds of thousands of smart thermostats and other connected home devices, making use of AI technology provided by Google Cloud. These devices, like Vivint and Nest smart thermostats, will be offered to eligible customers at no cost. By automating HVAC adjustments, they help shift energy use to when electricity is cheaper, cleaner, and less strained.
NRG and Renew Home have big plans for the VPP. Starting in spring 2025, the companies plan to roll out the program across Texas, installing these smart thermostats in homes served by NRG’s retail electricity providers. Eventually, they plan to add home battery storage and EVs to expand the power plant’s capabilities.
Texas has faced record-breaking energy demands, with peak usage hitting 85 GW in 2023. As the state’s population grows and extreme weather becomes more frequent, VPPs like this one could play a key role in stabilizing the grid. VPPs aggregate a lot of small-scale energy resources, from smart thermostats to home batteries, and use them to help balance supply and demand during times of high stress on the grid.
This nearly 1 GW VPP will be one of the largest of its kind in Texas. NRG’s president of consumer operations, Rasesh Patel, calls it a “pivotal step” for improving customer experience while making Texas’ energy infrastructure more sustainable and resilient.
In addition to Renew Home, NRG is working with Google Cloud to maximize the power plant’s effectiveness. Google Cloud’s AI and analytics tools will help predict weather conditions, forecast renewable generation, and optimize energy usage, all of which will help make energy management smoother for both customers and the grid.
Ben Brown, CEO of Renew Home, said:
NRG’s commitment to creating a more resilient and sustainable energy future while also making electricity bills more affordable makes them an ideal partner for co-developing this unique VPP program.
This initiative raises the bar for future-proofing our electricity infrastructure and delivering cost savings to customers.
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