SALES OF ELECTRIC VEHICLES UP ALMOST 73 PERCENT IN SEPTEMBER

BRUSSELS, OCTOBER 22 /SRNA/ - Sales of electric cars in the EU rose by 72.9 percent in September compared with the same period last year, while sales of petrol and diesel cars declined significantly, the European Automobile Manufacturers’ Association /ACEA/ said today.

According to the report, a total of 290,117 battery-electric vehicles were sold in September, supporting growth in the bloc’s overall car market.

The total number of new passenger car registrations, an indicator of sales, increased by 9.3 percent in September to 971,048 units.

In France, new electric vehicle registrations surged by 107.5 percent compared with the same period last year, while the increase was 94.7 percent in Germany, 71.7 percent in Spain and 47.3 percent in Italy.

The number of registrations of hybrid-electric vehicles rose by 7.3 percent to 330,693 units, while plug-in hybrid registrations increased by 11.7 percent to 102,267 units.

ACEA said that registrations of new petrol and diesel vehicles fell by 23.4 percent and 29.6 percent, respectively.