Randstad to see explosive growth in electric cars

The number of electric cars in the Randstad area will grow massively in the coming years, according to a study on the purchase of electric cars done by grid manager Stedin, Rotterdam School of Management, Erasmus University and ElaadNL. This is partly thanks to the fact that electric cars are becoming more affordable, ANP reports. 

The researchers expect that the number of electric cars n The Hague, Dordrecht and Rotterdam will double over the next two years. The same will happen in Amersfoort and Utrecht over the next four years. Amsterdam was left out of the study because there are many leasing companies in the Dutch capital that have electric cars in their fleets. According to the researchers, this creates a distorted picture of the total number of electric cars in the city.

So far the most important factor in buying an electric car was a high income. But now an increasing number of popular car brands are putting more affordable models on the market, making them accessible to people with lower salaries. 

The researchers mentioned the current run on the latest Tesla model. Tesla recently introduced the cheaper Model 3, aimed at a wider audience. Worldwide there are about 1,800 orders a day for a Tesla Model 3. Other car manufacturers are increasingly focusing on electric driving. For example, Volvo recently announced that it will release five fully electric models starting in 2019.