There many only be 7,500 electric vehicles on the road in Holland, but the rate at which they are being adopted is quite fast. The number of electric vehicles on the road octupled last year alone. That’s an eightfold increase.
Charging stations are also popping up everywhere, which is equally important. Owners that cannot charge their electric cars are sometimes very disappointed because of it, and it is another reason not to buy them. Holland has a long history of environmental awareness, and gas prices have been over $8.50 per gallon in the entirety of the Netherlands, which is extremely high compared to the rest of the world. This is why biking is so popular across the country.
This makes the Netherlands an environment conducive to electric vehicle usage and industry growth, which is perhaps why Tesla Motors opted to open its European distribution center there. Yet even though EV sales increased by a factor of eight, they still represent less than 1% of total sales in the Netherlands. Right now the most popular EV in the Netherlands is the Opel Ampera, the European cousin of the Chevy Volt, which in June of 2012 captured more than 3/4 of the EV market in the Netherlands. But with new EV options coming from most major manufacturers, the Netherlands could lead the rest of Europe into an EV rennaissance.
As electric vehicles become more common in Europe, drivers are gaining experience with them,. And so are their manufacturers, who make improvements based on test data gathered from these along the way.
Source: Autoblog Green
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