Every new technology starts with adoption by the most affluent: cars, telephones, TVs, computers, internet, etc.
With those being able to afford when economies of scale didn't kick into very high gear yet enables products to grow into those scales, and less affluent consumers to afford them.
So yes, it's an outlier, it's also a sign of a new technology taking hold.
There are other affluent countries that doesn't do nearly as well, so there's more to it than that.
> Qatar’s EV Market reported an impressive surge, with YTD sales up to September up by 119.6%. However, it remains under 2% of total light vehicle sales, with demand still lagging behind. The government has reaffirmed its commitment to scale up EV adoption in the future, establishing the goal to reach an EV share of 10 percent of domestic sales by 2030
> In 2024, electric or plug-in hybrid cars made up 28% of new registrations in Switzerland (compared with 30% in 2023). This was the first setback for such vehicles after steady growth since 2015.
Even China has more incentive than Switzerland... I guess the issue is even with tax credits, the super-rich can still splurge and buy the gas-guzzling SUVs, and it seems it's a country full of G-Wagens, with people with money who need to show off.
In Shenzhen, the government made gas taxis have higher meter prices, so obviously passengers will pick electric taxis. E-scooters must be cheaper to run, so they're popular with all the delivery riders, and normal commuters there...
Norway has a slightly higher GDP (PPP) per capita than Switzerland, so saying it's just because they're rich enough to buy gas-guzzling G-wagens doesn't seem to be the answer.
Before taxes... And as AI just educated me, GDP is the monetary amount the country earns from its production, but Norway's oil earnings are heavily invested by the government.
Perhaps Switzerland is more known by the "filthy rich"/Nouveau riche crowd, and therefore attracts them...
Every new technology starts with adoption by the most affluent: cars, telephones, TVs, computers, internet, etc.
With those being able to afford when economies of scale didn't kick into very high gear yet enables products to grow into those scales, and less affluent consumers to afford them.
So yes, it's an outlier, it's also a sign of a new technology taking hold.
There are other affluent countries that doesn't do nearly as well, so there's more to it than that.
> Qatar’s EV Market reported an impressive surge, with YTD sales up to September up by 119.6%. However, it remains under 2% of total light vehicle sales, with demand still lagging behind. The government has reaffirmed its commitment to scale up EV adoption in the future, establishing the goal to reach an EV share of 10 percent of domestic sales by 2030
https://www.focus2move.com/qatari-new-vehicles/
> In 2024, electric or plug-in hybrid cars made up 28% of new registrations in Switzerland (compared with 30% in 2023). This was the first setback for such vehicles after steady growth since 2015.
https://www.swissinfo.ch/eng/climate-solutions/electric-car-...
Even China has more incentive than Switzerland... I guess the issue is even with tax credits, the super-rich can still splurge and buy the gas-guzzling SUVs, and it seems it's a country full of G-Wagens, with people with money who need to show off.
In Shenzhen, the government made gas taxis have higher meter prices, so obviously passengers will pick electric taxis. E-scooters must be cheaper to run, so they're popular with all the delivery riders, and normal commuters there...
Norway has a slightly higher GDP (PPP) per capita than Switzerland, so saying it's just because they're rich enough to buy gas-guzzling G-wagens doesn't seem to be the answer.
Before taxes... And as AI just educated me, GDP is the monetary amount the country earns from its production, but Norway's oil earnings are heavily invested by the government.
Perhaps Switzerland is more known by the "filthy rich"/Nouveau riche crowd, and therefore attracts them...
I write this as this event is happening this weekend: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fZzCCNCVa6E
Society generally moves towards affluence, so it's an interesting bellweather.
aside: interestingly it's spelled bellwether and comes from shepherds putting a bell on a wether (a sheep) — it's unrelated to weather
TIL thank you