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The cars are getting cleaner
Overall, CO2 emissions from new cars are falling slightly. Exciting: It's not just about new models with alternative drives. Classic combustion engines also play their part, as an analysis by ÖAMTC shows.
The cars are getting cleaner
Last Friday, the European Automobile Manufacturers Association (ACEA) published statistics on new registrations in Europe for the first half of 2021. Accordingly, the proportion of electric cars (including hydrogen vehicles with fuel cells) in Austria is around eleven percent - making it the second highest in Europe after Sweden (13 percent). “This trend towards alternative drives, but also the move towards more efficient cars with combustion engines, has caused CO2"Emissions from the new car fleet can be reduced by around 15 percent compared to the first half of 2020," explains ÖAMTC transport economics expert Nikola Junick based on data from Statistics Austria. "In addition to the strong increase in newly registered electric cars, the decline in emissions from vehicles with combustion engines of more than seven percent is responsible for this significant reduction."
Such developments in new registrations are important for achieving climate goals. “But if you keep in mind that the Austrian car fleet is on average ten years old, it becomes clear that further measures are needed to reduce CO2-emissions in the existing fleet," says Junick. With the use of alternative fuels, it can be possible to reduce the CO2- Significantly reduce the footprint of the car fleet. “Above all, the introduction of E10, i.e. gasoline with an ethanol admixture of 10 percent, should begin quickly,” says the ÖAMTC expert. “You can already fill up with E10 in 14 EU member states; in Austria this would save around 140,000 tons of CO per year2 make possible."
Overall, cars with alternative drives (electric, hydrogen/fuel cell, hybrids, etc.) account for around 34 percent of new domestic car registrations and are therefore between petrol engines (around 40 percent) and diesel engines (around 25 percent). In the first half of 2019, the proportion of new alternative car registrations in this country was around nine percent, and over the first six months of 2020 it was slightly over 15 percent. “By the way, hybrid vehicles make up the majority of alternative drive systems, two thirds of which,” says the ÖAMTC expert.
Despite exemption from NoVA, motor-related insurance tax and purchase subsidies, the number of private electric car buyers is still limited. Of the 15,347 battery-electric vehicles newly registered in Austria in the first half of 2021, not even a fifth were registered to private individuals (source: Statistics Austria). 84 percent were approved for legal entities, companies, local authorities, etc. Junick explains: “E-mobility is particularly attractive for companies because they benefit from further tax advantages in addition to the general discounts that private individuals also receive.”
In addition to the possibility of deducting input tax, there is no benefit in kind for company electric cars, from which employers and employees benefit. In addition, there was an investment bonus of up to 14 percent from August 2020 to May 2021.