E-cars in Lübeck: Why sales are so slow!

E-cars in Lübeck: Why sales are so slow!

The future of mobility in Lübeck faces challenges, particularly with regard to the sale of electric vehicles (e-cars). Although the Lübeck public utilities underline the importance of electric cars for the energy transition in a current study, only a small number of citizens (6%) are convinced of their importance. In Lübeck, of around 160,000 registered cars, only 2.2% are electric cars, which corresponds to 3,043 vehicles ln online reported.

The trend in Schleswig-Holstein shows an electric car quota of 3.3%, while only 3% is achieved nationwide. Regions such as North Frisia perform slightly better at 4%. In the first quarter of 2025, just 3.4% of drivers in Lübeck switched from combustion engines to electric cars, while in Schleswig-Holstein it was 4.1%. These values ​​illustrate the slow transition to electromobility. While the e-car and hybrid quota in Schleswig-Holstein increased by 31% in the last five years, Baden-Württemberg even recorded an increase of 46%.

Challenges and infrastructure

In the coming year 2035, the EU plans to ban new registrations of cars with combustion engines, which will increase the pressure on e-mobility. However, in 2024 the number of new electric car registrations in Lübeck fell by an alarming 27.4%. The current rate of new electric car registrations in Schleswig-Holstein was 22.68% in April 2025. An infrastructural problem remains: In Lübeck there are currently 408 publicly accessible charging points, while the neighboring regions of Stormarn, Ostholstein, the Duchy of Lauenburg and the Segeberg district have 506, 609, 280 and 410 charging points. In addition, 2,800 private charging stations have been installed, primarily in single-family homes.

The requirement that gas stations must also offer fast chargers in the future is a further step towards improving the charging infrastructure. Rainer Löber from TraveNetz expresses concerns about the capacity of the power grid if e-car use suddenly increases. According to Löber, many combustion vehicles could still be on the roads after 2035, which threatens to increase the problem of the transition.

Market shares and manufacturers

There is a changing picture on the market: Volkswagen is leading with around 19,000 new electric car registrations in the period from January to April 2025, which accounts for 12% of all new registrations. BMW follows with around 10,000 new registrations and an electric car share of 18%. Tesla has almost 9,500 new registrations and only produces battery-electric vehicles, which means a share of 100%. Despite lower volumes, Volvo sees a BEV share of 22%, the highest among the top 20 manufacturers. These differences in market distribution illustrate the different strategies of automobile manufacturers with regard to e-mobility, reports the magazin.insta-drive.

In summary, the future of electric cars in Lübeck and beyond remains exciting, but both the awareness of the population and the necessary infrastructure face significant challenges. The expansion of the network and the falling prices for electric cars and charging infrastructure could be decisive for the acceptance and spread of electric vehicles in the long term.