5 leading in EV sales countries in Europe and factors influencing the plug-in popularity

Magda is the project manager with a knack for some UX/UI design. She’s had a chance to work with many of our clients as well as participating in the creation of our website, which made her well-acquainted with the world of eMobility.

Magdalena Betlińska

Depending on where you live, an electric vehicle passing you on the street may either be an unusual view or something so common that you no longer pay attention to it. Although EVs still tend to arouse some controversy, the mass adoption and general uptake can be widely observed. Recent sales figures firmly back up the thesis about the future of transportation being green.

Despite the global economic downfall brought about by the challenges of 2020, the electric automotive market stayed unbothered and, what’s more, grew even stronger. EV global market share increased from 2,5 % in 2019 to 4,2 % in 2020. Given the difficult circumstances, this is a giant leap forward and a very bright ray of hope for the future. While nearly 14% less light combustion engine vehicles were sold, the electric automotive market itself noted a ground-breaking 43% increase. For the first time in years Europe has also superseded China in sales figures and with nearly 1,4 million BEVs and PHEVs registered (137 % more than a year prior), the Old Continent secured the position of a major player in the eMobility world. This can be mirrored in recent big-cheese brands’ actions. Kicked off by Ford Motor Company and their ambitious plan to go fully electric in Europe by 2030, with Jaguar Land Rover and Volvo Group joining the pioneering venture and recent FedEx following in their footsteps and announcing a mandate to reduce the carbon footprint to zero by 2040, the future of transportation seems greener than ever.

A shining beacon of hope can also be observed in forecasts, as most of them anticipate continuing falls in battery prices. According to BloombergNEF’s data, battery cost noted an unprecedented decrease of 89% and is projected to go even lower. This is likely to bring the EV’s prices to a level comparable with the prices of gasoline vehicles and put a stop to controversies surrounding the costs of electric cars. All these factors leave no doubts that mass adoption of electric vehicles is on the verge of reaching a tipping point. In fact, in some countries the barrier has already been broken.

Top EV Selling Countries in Europe in 2020

According to data from industry trackers, the top 5 EV selling countries in 2020 in Europe were:

Having the primacy of the rest of Europe, the above countries all noted plug-in electric vehicles share in sales above 18%. Leading the way, Norway marked a whooping 74.8% in EV sales, leaving the rest behind. Although Germany has not made it to the Big5, it’s worth mentioning that in terms of EVs on the roads it’s the second biggest market after China with 1 out of 8 global plugin sales taking place.

However, even if all those figures look extremely promising, we must remember that high-volume sales in the aforementioned countries are heavily incentivized by various governmental policies and facilitations. Many of which cannot be easily transferred to other states.

Why is e-mobility so popular in those countries?

The impressive figures and advanced, ever-increasing development surely leaves lots of questions. What powered the enlarged demand for EVs? Why do some countries keep on falling behind with mass adoption? Why are there so many differences in sales rates in various parts of the world? What can be done to even out the numbers of electric vehicles on the world’s roads?

This is where things get complicated. Success of eMobility in scandinavian countries, particularly in Norway, is strictly dependent on far-going governmental actions and various policies. Norway started implementing them back in the 1990s and they have evolved ever since. Amongst the most significant facilitations, there are:

Parking fee for EVs was introduced locally with an upper limit of a maximum 50% of the full price

Although, these all look like pretty straightforward and easy-to-implement policies, things get a bit more complex. It has to be mentioned, that Norway’s vehicle import duties and car registration taxes tend to be very high (one of the most expensive in Europe) and waving them off specifically for EVs, make them very attractive for potential buyers. Another notice-worthy factor is that Norway’s median household income (after tax) is around $54000, which is twice as high as the European average. This leaves Norwegians with a lot more consumption’s possibilities.

Similar policies are implemented in other top selling countries, which clearly explains as to why some tend to sell so many EVs. In Iceland, there are also incentives offered to charge point operators, who are well supported in terms of developing the charging infrastructure. In Stockholm, Sweden, owners of electric cars, who subscribe to parking space, are offered with free charging. Swedish facilitations are also projected to get only more advanced, as the government set the goal of becoming carbon-neutral by 2045. The Netherlands offer a subsidy of $4000 for first EV buyers.

Another game-changing aspect is undoubtedly the infrastructure. It’s one of the cases where demand can be created via market design. In 2019, 26% of European charging stations were located in the Netherlands. Accessibility to a well-structured, effective charging network in many cases plays even more vital role than any financially-oriented incentive. This certainly applies to both, accessibility and the number of charging stations available. Part of the major success behind infrastructure in top selling countries is that they all have normalized the distribution of charging points in the big cities (that is: dedicated for charging spots on parking lots or buildings’ infrastructure inclusive of charging stations i.e. the possibility of charging a car while being at work, as well as facilities for people who live in blocks of flats) as well as stations in less densely-inhabited areas allowing for a longer car rides across the country. Such solutions, apart from making it easy for EV owners to maintain their vehicles, play a huge role in getting other people familiar with the concept of e-mobility.

Well-developed infrastructure also drives the growth of open standards. ElaadNL and Nederland Kennisplatform Laadinfrastrutuur (NKL) are two major platforms for public charge infrastructure in the Netherlands, which help significantly in the seamless maintenance of an EV.

All these factors are heavily dependent on the financial state of the country, its development goals and the advancements in infrastructure and cannot be easily transferred across the globe. Technological solutions, education, environment awareness and the average household income play a huge role in the shaping of eMobility popularity. This, however, does not change the fact that there is hope for everyone.

E-mobility lessons to learn from top selling countries

It goes without saying, that certain practises cannot be widely copied everywhere. However, there is a number of actions that can be slowly but surely taken in order to drive the uptake of electric vehicles in many cities. It all starts with some solid steps taken by authorities. Undoubtedly, some incentives need to be presented to get more and more people to shift from their combustion-engine vehicles to electric ones.

It all starts with some solid steps taken by authorities. Undoubtedly, some incentives need to be presented to get more and more people to shift from their combustion-engine vehicles to electric ones. Kicking it off with investing in electric public transport, may come in handy here. Large amounts of funds are spent on mass transit yearly, allocating these money into emobility solutions may be a first firm step towards an electric future. Such actions would also reinforce major ameliorations on charging networks and infrastructure. Namely, an increased amount of electric vehicles (here: public transport ones i.e. buses) would result in a higher demand for charging stations. This in turn, not only would improve the infrastructure but also would allow local emobility-handling companies to spread their wings and possibly search and find more and more innovative solutions. Surely, this would also contribute to the growth of locally-based open platforms, enabling more people seamless use of the charging infrastructure.

It would be also recommended that undertaken actions go beyond local authorities, all the way to national governments. As much as mirroring Norway’s policies might be impossible in most of the other countries, some practises, especially in terms of parking discounts or some tax reductions, should be implemented. This also applies to paying more attention to the proper education in terms of sustainability and eco-friendly approach. Youngsters should be taught on the importance of environmentally-oriented options as this may heavily influence their future choices.

Although the transition to all-electric cars will certainly take some time, with a solid focus in mind and some work, the future of transportation may turn green sooner than it was initially expected.

5 leading in EV sales countries in Europe and factors influencing their popularity. Learn more about e-mobility strategies.

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Ebook - The Growing concept of e-Mobility

Everything is "E" but what's the deal with it?

Krzysztof is our Head of Products and he leads the technical development behind the suite of our ready-made solutions. Throughout the years in Solidstudio, he gained an invaluable insight into the eMobilty industry’s requirements and is now more than qualified to share his knowledge with others.

Krzysztof Ciombor

From convenient new ways of ticket purchasing, traffic alerts, and accessible forms of public & private transport to search for long-distance connections. In recent years mobility as a service rapidly gained popularity. Now, since we face huge global crises, accelerated by the dynamic society evolution, it might be a good moment to take charge of the growing service sector. With zero-emission declarations, new forms of green energy supplies, dynamic e-sector development, and top-down state regulations MaaS quickly evolve into eMaaS - 

. How to adapt and take advantage of still unexplored territories?

Several factors contributed to the success of mobility as a service. Since smartphones took over the world, the ways we consume goods changed. Development in the area of research and design of user-friendly solutions launched a space for new business models. With easy access to the net, growth of new transport options available, and car limits in city centers, owning particular properties became an unnecessary cost generator. MaaS became an innovative mobility concept, offering the possibility to get from A to B in an elastic, custom, on-demand, and straightforward way, often through a single interface.

MaaS owes its success to a user-centric focus and a different benefit package. As a service mobility allows passengers to choose the most suitable transportation dictated by their personal views and current circumstances. It could be price, rapidity, distance, weather conditions, or carbon footprint. Each user values a different available option. Powered by excellent frontend MaaS can provide various possibilities combining public transportation with solutions assured by the private sector. Supported by backend MaaS can deliver a huge dataset of transport preferences at different times of day and year. This will lead to a better understanding of user behavior and offered alternatives modeling.

With this growing concept of MaaS, the distributed transportation industry receives insight into the use of means of transport. Using a shared & integrated interface of transportation will lead to yet another value - a cheaper fee as “one journey” instead of paying a higher fee at each point. For vendors, this will mean shared fixed costs, a source of data for better business decisions, and new growth opportunities.

Electric mobility as a service ecosystem is a resultant of the earlier concepts solving common big city and mobility challenges, such as growing population, air pollution, increased pedestrianization, car-free zones, access to e-charging stations, and becoming environmentally friendly. Dictated by the transition to greener solutions there has been a rapid evolution of MaaS to eMaaS, which combines:

Shared, Electric Mobility Services (SEMS)

with the technical capability to design and develop a user-centric solution, market adaptation, and business skills to make the product rock in a sustainable way. eMaaS as a concept integrates the chopped up market of mobility options like e-car, e-bike, and ride-sharing, combining with public transport. With a major purpose to replace fossil-fuelled cars and increase the usage of zero-emission mobility assets.

In highly competitive markets shared services take the lead, providing value for each participant. Electric mobility as a service has a better chance to excel, also thanks to government actions and statements of the biggest players on the market. Reduction of exhaust emissions, maintenance, and development of new green energy sources, as well as e-form of transport, create new markets.

Changes caused by external factors will require top crafted technologies for a seamless run, thoughtful, engaging design, and easy compatibility for further development and maintenance. 

 delivered to the market will lay the foundations for prospective integrated systems. The duty of those in charge of e-development will be to skillfully select experienced partners supporting e-solutions. And lastly, designing solutions for future eMaaS integration demands not only tech but also a set of soft skills with a forward-looking approach.

We face yet another revolution. It’s e-revolution, that sets a challenge to deliver an innovative, e-solution so distinctive, that will give the advantage of creating exceptional value to users. And at the same time remaining easy to adapt on a large scale. Many factors determine the competitive advantage or even the success of e-mobility ventures. Government support programs, increased social awareness & approval, IT capabilities become key drivers on the road to create outstanding conditions for e-development.

Electric mobility as a service, with its all participants - suppliers, owners, and recipients - creates an extensive system of connected vessels, forming a powerful framework for e-business development.

Everything is "E" but what's the deal with it? Find out what eMaaS is all about.

From MaaS to eMaaS, how “e” is taking a charge over the markets

Poorly developed charging network is listed as the main barrier when buying an electric car

Being an eMobility leader in various projects across multiple startups, Piotr was responsible for OCPI and OCPP integration as well as EMP and CPO platforms development. With extensive expertise in the open standards field and eMobility tech solutions, he is leading teams of experienced developers and contributing with invaluable knowledge and experience.

Piotr Majcher

It is estimated that by 2030, the number of EVs on the roads globally would become dominant. 

, from 450,000 electric cars sold in 2015 to 2.1M in 2019. With the fast development of larger capacity batteries, its prices fall, and energy density, charging infrastructures need to keep up with a demanding rapid expansion. BloombergNEF estimates that in 20 years there will be 54M EVs on the roads globally. Of course, there are markets that witness faster EV coverage and adaptation (e.g. Europe with Norway leading the way here, and China) but it is predicted that by 2040 EVs in new car sales will be 58% worldwide.

Since we live in the user-centered era, cutting the edge charging network seems to be the next big challenge to quickly adapt, boost, and win the 

 Among potential EV consumers, a poorly developed charging network is listed as the main barrier when buying an electric car. However, the transition to clean energy is a must. With a governmentally declared reduction of carbon emissions, accessible charging points development gets a fast track. Different approaches are tested and developed in diverse markets. Here you can find the gathered leading charging options

What are the available charging options so far?


Two-way charging technology. When EV is charged, AC (Alternating Current) from the grid is converted to DC (Direct Current) power. Possible to be implemented by the EV’s owner or charger’s converter. What is more, this technology allows the energy stored in batteries to powerhouse/external load (V2H) or send it back to the grid (V2G)


Nothing new here, but some may not know that EVs wireless charging is possible. The vehicle’s battery can be empowered wirelessly by parking the car on a spot with a charger on the ground. Just like wireless phone chargers. Although, the amount of exchanged energy in these wireless systems notably outpaces a wireless cell phone charger, seems like a great challenge for startups developing them. These innovations must be 100% safe, certified solutions. One of the examples of a park & charge solution is Canadian startup 


A fully charged car in 20-60 minutes is possible, although the ultimate goal is to fully charge a vehicle in less than 10 minutes. Just like gasoline at the petrol station. For example, 

 is working on advanced super-fast charging technology without the influence of battery life. The pioneers like Tesla, ABB, ChargePoint, EVbox, and other OEMs and networks offer fast-charging stations. Among other obstacles associated with handling the huge power demanded, if not done correctly, fast charging can lead to faster battery degradation.


Similarly, just like power banks for mobile phones, startups are building portable charging systems for EVs. For example, 

 offers stackable batteries that can deliver up to 60-75 miles per full stack and work together to deliver the exact amount of range needed.


Since the most comfortable ways of charging EV is still overnight, for those who don’t have a garage or access to any charging station nearby, British startup 

 offers a solution for those who own or want to own an EV but lack a driveway. They pick up the car, bring it to a charging station, and bring it back to the owner the following morning, fully charged and ready to go solving the issue of charging in big cities.


With the technology that uses copper coils embedded under roads and connected to the electricity grid, along with receivers installed under vehicles the dynamic charging is being in deployment in Sweden for E-bus with a Super- Capacitor battery and a heavy Duty E-Truck with a Li-Ion battery. Yet another EV charging resolution proposed by 

 Similar projects also take place in Germany and Israel.

With the most common charging option on the market comes three main types of EV charging: rapid, fast, and slow. These represent the power outputs, and hence charging speeds, available to charge an EV. Each charging device type has an associated set of connectors that are designed for low- or high-power use, and for either AC or DC charging.

Rapid or super-fast chargers enable to recharge an EV up to 80% in 20 min to 1 hour, depending on the battery capacity. With 50 kW DC charging is possible on one of two connector types using either the CHAdeMO or CCS charging standards, 43 kW AC charging on one connector - Type 2 standard, 100+ kW DC ultra-rapid charging is possible on one of two connector types: CCS or CHAdeMO. All rapid units have tethered cables.

The majority of fast chargers provide AC charging. A 7 kW charger will recharge a compatible EV with a 40 kWh battery in 4-6 hours, and a 22 kW charger in 1-2 hours. Fast chargers are often placed at car parks, supermarkets, or recreation centers, where you are likely to be parked for an hour or more. Fast chargers include: 7kW fast charging on one of three connector types, 22kW fast charging on one of three connector types, 11kW fast charging on Tesla Destination network. Units are either untethered or have tethered cables. Fast charge is the most common public charge point standard, and most plug-in car owners will have a cable with a Type 2 connector charger-side.

Slow chargers are mostly used at home because overnight charging takes from 6 up to 12 hours. There are 3 kW – 6 kW slow charging units on one of four connector types either untethered or have tethered cables, meaning that a cable is required to connect the EV with the charge point.

Most EVs are equipped with two cables for slow and fast AC charging; one with a three-pin plug and the other with a Type 2 connector charger-side. Both are fitted with a compatible connector for the car’s inlet port. These cables allow an EV's owner to connect to most untethered charge points, while the use of tethered units requires using the cable with the correct connector type for the vehicle. With the growing EV market and demand for proper, open, and accessible charging points in public spaces manufacturers, eMobility Service Providers, and Charge Point Operators will have to meet halfway in order to build one, effective, and benefiting for each participant, standardized eMarket. Before new forms of EV charging become an undisturbed daily routine 

 provide great value in creating an extensive charging network.

In need of EV charging infrastructure

What is the deal with the balance in energy consumption?

Paweł Baczyński

Energy transfer is a continuous process, however, the method of balancing energy consumption is divided into discrete half-hour periods called settlement periods. In the energy market, this settlement is a manner that aligns the difference between energy sold to customers and purchased. So, what is the deal with the balance in energy consumption, how it applies to 

BSCP520 – Unmetered Supplies Registered in SMRS

The energy settlement process would not be overly complicated if all exit points were metered. In practice, this is not always possible, since unmetered supplies are also allowed. This sort of energy consumption needs to be calculated. Unmetered electricity is used e.g. by public street lights, traffic lights, and extra common electric equipment. As a result, unmetered energy estimates for about 1.25% of GB’s total electricity utilization.

To handle these unmetered supplies there is created, in the Supplier Meter Registration Service (SMRS), a dedicated BSCP520 procedure. The common rule indicates that all energy transfer points connected to the Licensed Distribution System should be metered. Exceptions to this rule are called Unmetered Supplies. These Unmetered Supplies are to be approved by the Unmetered Supplies Operator appointed by Licensed Distribution System Operator to act on its behalf.

An Unmetered Supply can be accepted if the electrical load is of a predictable nature (no unexpected spikes etc.) and either less than 500W or it is not practical to install a meter.

Equivalent Meter and Estimated Annual Consumption

As consumption cannot be metered, it needs to be derived. There are two possible scenarios:

an Equivalent Meter – It is a hardware/software solution, that provides Half Hourly data

an Estimated Annual Consumption – calculated by UMSO (The Unmetered Supplies Operator) to estimate annual consumption per MSID based on circuit watts, percentage of full load used, and the number of devices.

We’ll take a closer look at an Equivalent Meter. The procedure of Half Hourly Trading, Equivalent Meter consists of 3 steps:

The Meter Administrator calculates and validates metering data from the Equivalent Meter for each MSID (Metering System Identifier) for each settlement day and sends that to HHDC (Half Hourly Data Collector). The format of the file is defined.

HHDC validates this data. In case there is missing or invalid information it sends the details to the Meter Administrator.

MA re-sends corrected information if necessary.

There are two types of Equivalent Meters:

passive meters, that allocate consumption across the settlement periods based on the relation of annual burning hours and the duration of the day,

dynamic meters, that allocate consumption across the settlement periods based on the number of PECUs – Photo-Electric Control Unit – and actual switching times.

 has found that annual energy consumption is typically 1% lower using the switching times provided by the PECU Array compared with a passive calculation. As a result, many customers save thousands of pounds each year.

An Equivalent Meter needs to perform calculations to produce Summary Inventory, necessary documents i.a. for accounting purposes, and settlements with vendors.

Charge Code specifies the associated circuit watts and other technical information for the Apparatus. Switch Regime specifies the switching times and other technical information for the electric equipment.

For Charge Code & Switch Regime multiply the number of items by the circuit watts for the relevant Charge Code by the seconds attributable to the Switch Regime and divide by 1,000 to determine the kWh.

The second's attributable need to be derived either from

from the duration of the day (sunset/sunrise times provided by Astronomical Almanac)

This process is repeated for each half hour of the day.

Thanks to unmetered energy supplies, unique applications in public infrastructure and an elaborated billing system Public Charging Points in Great Britain became easy to develop. In 2019 emobility market was 

 to reach ~7-10 million EVs by 2030, which means this segment will require ~28,000 Public Charge Points by 2030.

 that there are 19,828 accessible public charging points of which 3,568 are rapid chargers. Behind the user-oriented approach, there is a whole network with various participants - private and public - creating accessible and often cost-shared solutions. By regulating settlements between vendors in Great Britain the green growth ultimately contributed to the dynamic development of emobility market. Procedures such as BSCP520 regulate the settlement of unmetered energy consumption accelerating emobility growth. This case was to present detailed, one of the successful ways to unlock greener solutions applied through a public-private sector collaboration.

Top 5 e-mobility countries - what we can learn?

16 MARCH 2021 • 8 MIN READ