After years of growing Europe into a bastion of diesel-fueled passenger vehicles – and with new regulations forcing a rethinking of all internal combustion engines – its major automakers are announcing an about face.

Top executives from BMW, Daimler/Mercedes, and the VW Group – VW, Porsche and Audi in the U.S. – have been issuing forceful electric car projections of late that could make Tesla’s plans for 500,000 vehicles in 2018, and a million by 2020 seem only ordinary.

In an industry where big talk and poor follow-up and execution have been seen before, the skeptical will retain reasons for disbelief until they see more proof, but automakers are forecasting big numbers and putting plans in motion suggesting this is for real.

Forces Driving the Change
In 2014 European new vehicle purchases were 53-percent diesels in a 12.3-million annual market – down from 15.6 million peak – and major carmakers of Europe have long touted their benefits which were profitable to them, and seemingly let them meet regulations.

The will to switch to electric cars certainly was not anything major, but with tightening EU emissions goals of 95 grams CO2 per kilometer by 2020 plus a new tougher testing protocol being implemented for 2017, the avoidance behavior just won’t cut it anymore.