Sunday, May 12, 2013

Where's Wally? - Looking for EV's in Belgium

Peugeot iOn and Tazzari Zero at a charging station in Brussels

Unlike their northern neighbors, Belgians are a practical bunch when it comes to cars,  preferring utility to any  statement-through-cars, proof of that are all the passenger Citröen Berlingo's and Renault Kangoo's around, with these kind of vehicles ranking regularly in the sales charts.

Are they into electric cars? Do they think EV's are worth it? Is it easy to see plug-in cars on the streets? Let's find out.

Renault Twizy -  With 521 units sold, it's the best selling EV in Belgium, the french moon lander quadricycle is still a rare sight, but they fit right in the well regarded historic neighborhoods of cities like Gent or Brugges. Speaking of Gent, while talking with students from the local university, they showed interest in electric cars, but said that high prices and small range were major turn offs.

Mitsubishi I-Miev family(1) - If we count all three models, this would be the best selling car, but i only saw one, it belonged to Zen Car, a Brussels based car sharing company, it was at a charging station (see picture above). People here see car sharing as a positive thing, saying that it's even more eco-friendly for urbanites than just buying an electric car, referring the limited availability of charging stations as an important factor for the slow sales of EV's.

Opel Ampera - I saw a grey one on the Gent-Brussels highway, after trying to take a picture, i asked my ride if he knew that the Ampera was electric, to which he replied: "Electric, eh? Eco-follies, that's what it is!"


(1) - Includes Peugeot iOn and Citröen C-Zero

6 comments:

  1. AnonymousMay 17, 2013

    I saw lots of Twizzies when I was in Belgium.

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    1. It is the most common EV in Belgium, without a doubt.

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  2. Thanks for your great information, the contents are quiet interesting.I will be waiting for your next post.
    Car Finance

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  3. Thanks, i've just posted the swedish EV sales for June, i hope you enjoy it.

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  4. I try to keep track of the EVs I see. Sightings have gone up from one every couple of weeks to at least one a week, sometimes up to 3 a day. Tesla's are now most common. I have already seen 7 Tesla's but only 2 Leafs, even though the Leaf has been on sale for much longer.

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    Replies
    1. Thanks for the input, it looks that i will some good surprises/sightings the next time i'll go to Belgium.

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