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Record number of new e-cars on Swiss roads

outline of e-car on a parking spa
© Keystone / Gaetan Bally

With 10,329 registrations so far this year, Switzerland and Liechtenstein have more new electric passenger cars than ever before.

This is the first time the total hit the five-figure mark. The numbers reflect a 136.6% increase over last year’s fleet of new, completely electric passenger cars. What’s more, now e-cars represent 3.7% of all new cars in Switzerland and the principality next door, reported importer association Auto-Schweiz on Tuesday. “It’s one of the highest percentages worldwide,” said spokesman Christoph Wolnik.

The demand for hybrid vehicles is also on the rise, with growth of 75.4%. Over one in ten new cars in the two nations is either a hybrid or fully electric. Still, more than half of newly registered cars are 4x4s. The total number of new passenger cars registered this year was 276,641 as of the end of November. Switzerland has more than six million motor vehicles in total. 

This past summer, car importers had to pay CHF30 million ($30.4 million) in fines into a national road fund after failing to meet vehicle CO2 emission objectives in 2018.

“The increase in fuel consumption and CO2 emissions is due in particular to the growing share of 4×4 vehicles (2018: 48.9% of total) and the decline in diesel vehicles,” the Federal Office of Energy said.

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SWI swissinfo.ch - a branch of Swiss Broadcasting Corporation SRG SSR