Norway was the first country to see a decline in sales of its most popular diesel car to date. It turns out that the rest of Europe is also starting to show similar trends. The International Energy Consulate confirms this information - dissatisfaction with diesel cars is becoming more and more common.
Huge changes in 10 years
W In Norway, 10 years ago it accounted for as much as 70% of new car sales were those equipped with diesel engines. In 2017, the market share of these vehicles was only 18%, and August 2018 was record-breaking in this respect. Only 12,4% of new cars were powered by naturally aspirated engines.
The trend is becoming clearer in Europe
It turns out that the decline in sales of vehicles equipped with this type of drive in Norway has outpaced pan-European trends. It is worth recalling that three years ago, Europeans were the most willing to buy diesel cars. These times, however, are already ending. According to the International Energy Consulate, in the first half of 2018, only 36,5% percent of new cars were equipped with such drives. Although it is still a large market share, the downward trend is significant. A few years ago it was over 20% more.
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What are the reasons?
According to the representatives of the International Energy Consulate, it is not fully known what are the reasons for this downward trend. In Norway, the reasons seem quite obvious - the government has introduced a number of amenities for electric car owners, including enabled the purchase of elbili with 0% VAT. Some larger cities also prohibit diesel vehicles from entering the city center during periods of poor air quality - usually during the heating season. Some local governments have gone even further - they have banned the use of older cars with such drives at all.
"Dirty Diesels"
The reason for such drastic restrictions is the fact that diesel engines emit a lot of pollutants into the atmosphere. Including NOx, which is extremely harmful to people who have problems with asthma and the respiratory system.
It is worth noting, however, that newer models of cars with such drives are much cleaner than their predecessors. At the forefront of those that use AdBlue to clean exhaust gases. What's more - according to the research of Patrick Hayes, a scientist from the University of Montreal, modern diesel engines are much more environmentally friendly than their petrol counterparts.
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Increasing use of "electricians"
Experts suggest that the decline in interest in diesel engines is not solely dictated by the incentives introduced for elbili owners. Electric cars are becoming more and more functional. Until recently, people involved in the transport of goods were basically forced to use diesel engines due to their greater power. Currently, it is changing - it is enough to mention that, for example, Tesla Model X is able to "carry" 2,2 tons of load.
Another reason may be the operating costs. Modern naturally aspirated cars generate high maintenance costs. They are also more expensive than their electric counterparts, about which we have already written on the pages of our portal. Cars with diesel engines are also burdened with higher annual fees than even those powered by gasoline units.
End of the diesel era?
There are many indications that the era of the domination of diesel engines is coming to an end. Until a few years ago, the cars were equipped with them the most-bought vehicles in all of Europe. It turns out that users' preferences are changing. Trends that have been going on in Norway for some time now are starting to emerge in Europe as well. Suffice it to cite the fact that in the first half of 2018, 36,5% of newly sold cars were diesel-powered cars. This is a decrease of over 20% in just a few years.
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