Sale of electric vehicles (EV) in Europe is on the rise despite a dip in sale of petrol and diesel vehicles, with Germany leading the way in November, touching half a million EV registrations till November this year.
A report by Schmidt Automotive Research said the 18-country West European passenger car market witnessed over one million new combined pure electric (BEV) and plug-in hybrids vehicles (PHEV) entering Europe’s roads in 2020.
In November, German passenger car market became the first in the region to achieve over 500,000 plug-in passenger cars in circulation. The government’s target is one million new plug-in vehicles on the road by the end of 2021, the report said.
Among the major EV players, Renault is leading the European EV market sales with 95,985 units sold year-to-date to end November 2020, an 80pc increase, the Schmidt report said. Compared to last year, this figure represents an 80% increase in registrations.
Country-wise figures
After Germany, France and Great Britain are fast emerging markets for EVs according to French National Association for electric mobility (Avere).
In the UK, battery electric vehicles (BEV) registrations were up by 122pc in November compared to prior-year period while PHEV sales rose by 77pc, according to media reports.
In Italy, sale of EVs rose by 369pc in November over the prior-year period while registrations have risen by 196pc in the first 11 months of the year.
In Spain, EV sales rose by 127pc in November, cited media reports.
The Schmidt’s report said European governments’ willingness to increase purchase and fiscal incentives in light of the COVID-19 pandemic, especially in Germany, has led to such astounding sales figures.