A recent analysis by car experts from Chemnitz has revealed that approximately 100,000 electric cars, already manufactured, are currently sitting in stockpiles across Germany. This surprising revelation comes despite a significant increase in exports of electric vehicles (EVs) from the country last year.
Werner Olle, an automotive researcher, discovered that these electric cars are temporarily parked in car parks near factories, dealerships, or ports. The backlog includes vehicles from German manufacturers as well as imports. The record number of unsold vehicles in 2023 is attributed to the abrupt end of the electric car subsidy in December of that year.
Stockpiling such a large number of vehicles comes at a high cost to manufacturers, often requiring discounts to reduce the backlog. Reports have surfaced of electric cars, such as BYD at the harbor in Bremerhaven and Tesla at the former military airport in Brandenburg, waiting to be sold. Additionally, several original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) have announced capacity reductions in vehicle plants or postponed product launches in response to weakening domestic demand and a subdued international market.
Despite these challenges, there was a positive trend in 2023, with the Federal Statistical Office reporting a 58% increase in exports of electric cars from Germany. Specifically, 786,000 battery electric vehicles (BEVs) worth 36 billion euros were exported, representing every fourth new car sold abroad from Germany with a purely electric drive.
