Major Developments in 2023
New registrations
In 2023, 239,150 new passenger cars were registered. After a decline of 10.3% in 2022 registrations show an upward trend with +11.2% (+24,100 vehicles). Despite the higher overall registration numbers of new registrations of petrol-powered and diesel powered vehicles continued to fall by 1.5% to 77,354 (2022: 78,567) and by 3.2% to 46,568 (2022: 48,155) cars, respectively.
Thus, the share of all alternatively powered passenger cars increased to 48.2% (2022: 41.1%), confirming the transition towards alternative drivetrains. With 47,621 new registrations all-electric passenger cars showed an increase of 39.4% as well as vehicles with hybrid drivetrains (petrol-hybrid: +30.1%; diesel-hybrid: +8.9%). Overall, in 2023 the share of all-electric passenger cars was 19.9%, that of hybrid passenger cars 28.3%.
New policies, legislation, incentives, funding, research, and taxation
Austria offers a broad set of supporting instruments for the e-mobility uptake such as purchase subsidies, registration tax benefits ownership tax benefits, company tax benefits, VAT benefits, infrastructure incentives or free parking.
Immediate Action Programme (IAP) Renewable Energy in the Mobility – Key Measures
In support of the mobility transition, the Immediate Action Programme (IAP) defines 41 measures, which contribute to ten impact levels: strategy, legal/regulatory, financial, research/innovation, vehicles, infrastructure, digitalisation – new services, user comfort, communication, and cooperation.
IAP Measure 30 – Guidelines enabling renewable energy supply for zero emission road traffic infrastructure
A specific calculation model for projecting the spatially allocated need for zero emission charging and refuelling infrastructure offers guidelines for a fast and efficient extension of the public charging infrastructure until 2040.
IAP Measure 33 – National Competence Center for Electromobility (OLÉ)
A fast and efficient e-mobility rollout is key for achieving Austria’s ambitious political decarbonisation goals. OLÉ’s role is the monitoring of the national e-mobility developments and the provision of information to public authorities and the wider public about the status-quo. For this purpose, data is processed, analysed, concisely presented, and explained in neutral and fact-based publications. Co-operative projects in municipalities, cities, regions, and federal states are aiming at the establishment and expansion of charging infrastructure. Their successful implementation requires an intensive dialogue with partners and an alignment of goals, measures, and timelines at regional and national levels. OLÉ orchestrates this dialogue and, in collaboration with the Austrian Research Promotion Agency (FFG), designs a funding instrument aiming at the rapid expansion of public fast-charging infrastructure in undersupplied areas.
Outlook
Austria’s ambitious goal to become carbon neutral by 2040 asks for concerted activities in all sectors. Especially in the mobility sector, novel approaches are required. Therefore, Austria has launched the Mobility Master Plan (MMP), which lays out the path to climate neutrality in 2040 by defining paths and instruments for avoiding traffic, shifting traffic to public transport and active mobility, increasing energy efficiency, and replacing fossil fuels with renewable energy sources. Developing innovative mobility solutions and bringing them swiftly to market is a key element in the Mobility Master Plan (MMP).
To facilitate the transition toward a carbon-neutral mobility system the Austrian Automotive Transformation Platform (AATP)8 has been established. Its core is formed by a group of experts covering the whole mobility community, thus including representatives from the vehicle and supplier industry, the charging infrastructure industry, the service sector, as well as clusters, stakeholders, research, and administration. The AATP develops a catalogue of recommendations for action to support the transition of the mobility industry. The AATP forms part of the Immediate Action Programme Renewable Energy in the Mobility (Measure 41).
Austria provides significant financial support for increasing the proportion of zero emission buses, zero-emission commercial vehicles and passenger cars as well as the respective charging infrastructure. Currently, the continuous growth of the national fleet counteracts these efforts thus jeopardising the planned path to climate neutrality in 2040 outlined in the Mobility Master Plan.
