They did rejoice after the climate agreement: "now the market will really start rolling"
November 5, 2021 Esther De Leebeeck
A greening of the car fleet by 2029, by 2026 only electric heat pumps, and anyone who buys an energy-guzzling home after 2023 will be required to renovate it. In this way, the Flemish government wants to reduce CO2 emissions by as much as 40 percent by 2030. An ambitious agreement, after which these people raised a cry of joy. “Finally a concrete measure with a deadline. For 20 years we have been roaring that this is the future,” they sounded in unison.
By 2029 there will be a greening of the car fleet and all new cars must be electric. “We can only be satisfied lol,” says Johnathan Wong (35) of Nikola Brussels, an independent distributor of Tesla cars. “When we started the business five years ago, people said it was risky to deal only in Tesla, and especially in the used car market. But now it turns out to be very good timing. We had anticipated this for a long time, but now the market is really starting to roll and we can finally reap the benefits.”
“Tesla rules the segment, so people are more likely to find their way to us. Classic car manufacturers have yet to see how they are going to keep their revenue model alive. Of course, the deal has only just fallen through, but without a doubt I expect an increase in our sales.” Nikola Brussels now sells about 250 Tesla cars a year. “We have been noticing the changed mindset among the population for a while now. The question among interested customers was no longer whether it would become electric, but rather: when? That awareness is there. But that it has now also been effectively thrown into a climate agreement is tremendously good news. There is still something in store for us.”
