The Germans are running away from expensive fuel and are starting to… configure “electric cars”

The increase in fuel prices after the outbreak of the war with Iran is increasing interest in electric cars in Germany, the dpa news agency reported on Wednesday. Online car sales platforms have recorded a greater number of electric model configurations.

This trend is confirmed by the car sales websites Carwow and Meinauto.de in response to an inquiry from the dpa agency.

“Our data shows that since February 28, the share of electric car configurations has increased on weekends from 55 to 63 percent.” – said Philipp Sayler von Amende, CEO of Carwow. “This shows that many consumers are responding to rising fuel costs,” he added.

According to Carwow's boss, as the popularity of electric cars increases, interest in traditional drives is slightly decreasing. “Gasoline and diesel models together constitute only approximately 23 percent of the configuration, which is less than at the end of February,” he noted.

Similar observations were made by the Meinauto.de platform. According to the company, currently offers and materials regarding alternative sources of propulsion, such as electricity or E20 fuel, as well as guides on fuel saving are particularly frequently displayed.

The German Ministry of the Environment announced in January that private customers can again apply for state subsidies when purchasing electric cars, plug-in hybrids and electric cars with the so-called extended range. Depending on the type of vehicle and personal situation, support ranges from PLN 1.5 thousand. up to 6 thousand euro.

Since the beginning of the war between the United States and Israel on Iran on February 28, gasoline and diesel prices at gas stations in Germany have been systematically increasing and have reached levels not seen for years. Moreover, fuel prices in Germany are rising faster than in most European Union countries – the exception is Finland. On Tuesday, the price of the cheapest E10 petrol exceeded EUR 2 per liter, which is the highest level since May 2022.

German Economy Minister Katherina Reiche said on Wednesday that in response to the sharp increase in fuel prices, the government wants to introduce a model limiting the possibility of price increases at gas stations as soon as possible. Under the plan, in the future, stations in Germany would be able to increase fuel prices only once a day, while reductions would be allowed at any time. This model already operates in Austria.

Dpa pointed out that it is not clear how quickly the changes could come into force and whether they will bring the expected effect in the current situation.

Reiche also announced that Germany intends to release part of its strategic oil reserves. This is a standard tool used to temporarily calm markets and reduce upward pressure on prices.

From Munich Iwona Weidmann (PAP)

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