Electric Vehicle Sales Slow as Hybrid Vehicles Gain Popularity: Government Pushes for Increased Subsidies

[앵커]

Electric vehicle sales, which had been surging until last year, have slowed this year, and the number of customers looking for hybrid vehicles is increasing.

As a result, the government pursued a plan to increase subsidies to stimulate demand for electric vehicles.

Reporter Park Hong-gu reports.

[기자]

Registered in Korea from January to August this year

The number of electric passenger vehicles was 67,600, a 5.7% decrease from the same period last year.

In comparison, hybrid vehicles registered 198,000 units during the same period, an increase of more than 40%.

It seemed like the era of electric vehicles would come at any moment, but it looks like they are taking a breather.

Experts analyzed that the growth rate is slowing due to a lack of charging infrastructure and relatively high car prices compared to hybrid cars.

[김필수 / 대림대 미래자동차학부 교수 : 충전 에너지 비용 올라가죠. 보조금은 줄어들고 있고, / 충전 인프라에 대한 불편함, 이런 여러가지가 모여는 가성비로 인해 전체적으로 인기가 하이브리드로 옮겨갔다고 보고 있는데….]

Compared to last year, the electric vehicle subsidy was reduced by 1 million won for medium and large vehicles and 2 million won for small vehicles, increasing the burden on consumers.

The gasoline model of the new Kona costs 31.2 million won, the hybrid model costs 34.95 million won, and the electric car costs over 50 million won.

Even after deducting the 8.43 million won subsidy for electric vehicles, the price difference between hybrid and electric vehicles is over 7.5 million won.

The government plans to increase subsidies to drive domestic electric vehicle demand and announce specific details next week.

Deputy Prime Minister Chu Kyung-ho met with reporters and said he was looking for ways to expand the scope of subsidy support and strengthen the incentive system.

However, experts emphasized that it is difficult to expand the supply of electric vehicles simply by increasing subsidies in a situation where charging infrastructure is insufficient, and that the expansion of fast chargers near residential areas is of utmost importance.

This is Park Hong-gu of YTN.

Video Editing: Jeon In

Graphics: Hyojin Kim

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2023-09-22 14:27:00
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