Danish municipalities are largely ignoring warnings from the state when it comes to purchasing electric cars from China. BYD in particular is winning municipal tenders.
China. A country that is increasingly influencing the global automotive industry. Chinese electric cars are also gaining ground in Denmark, despite warnings from the government. Municipalities across the country are buying electric cars from China on a large scale, and this is causing concern for the Danish Data Protection Agency.
This is what TV2 writes.
"It's like we never get any smarter," says the Danish Data Protection Agency, which is concerned about the prospect of more electric cars from China in Danish municipalities.
Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen (S) has herself pointed out Europe's dependence on China and the need to reduce it.
"Europe has become too dependent on China and must work to become more independent of Chinese products," she said in an interview with Politico during the UN General Assembly in New York.
Yet municipalities continue to buy electric cars from China. For example, Syddjurs Municipality has purchased 100 BYD Dolphins. Holstebro Municipality has also chosen Dolphins for its fleet. 93 Dolphins are planned to be used in municipal home care.
The 2020 agreement on the green transition of road transport has made it more attractive to buy electric cars. The change in registration tax has boosted sales, and in the vast majority of municipalities, electric cars accounted for close to half of new cars in 2023.
In some municipalities, the figure was as high as almost 60 percent, according to figures from the Ministry of Taxation. Some regions even choose to ban everything but electric cars. Read more about it here .
The municipalities justify their choice with the green transition and the economy. But they are facing criticism in the local media.
"We ourselves help feed the hand that at some point becomes so big that we get a few slaps from it," says a citizen on Adresseavisen's Facebook page.
The EU is investigating illegal Chinese state subsidies for electric cars. China is allegedly giving electric cars favorable competitive conditions.
The question is whether China's electric cars are here to stay. The Chinese, for example, have figured out that they can get around the tariff walls by sending hybrid cars here.
