In March, the global electric vehicle market showed its first growth of the year. The main driver was European buyers, who are massively switching to electric cars amid the rapid rise in the price of traditional fuels due to the Gulf War.
In March, the global electric vehicle market showed its first growth of the year. The main driver was European buyers, who are massively switching to electric cars amid the rapid rise in the price of traditional fuels due to the Gulf War.
According to Reuters, citing data from consulting company Benchmark Mineral Intelligence, global sales of new electric and hybrid vehicles in March increased by 3% year-on-year, exceeding the mark of 1.7 million units. The real boom occurred in the European market, where sales jumped by 37%, reaching an absolute historical maximum - almost 540,000 cars sold in a month.
Analysts attribute the surge in interest in electric cars to high gasoline prices. Despite governments' attempts to contain fuel prices, the crisis has been exacerbated by the US-Iran war that broke out on February 28. The conflict has significantly disrupted a key shipping route through which about 20% of the world's oil supplies pass.
BMI data manager Charles Lester said the lion's share of this growth can be attributed to the jump in petrol prices. The same trend is observed in other markets: in Australia, New Zealand, Vietnam and Thailand, which have been hit hard by the energy crisis, registrations of electric vehicles soared by 79%.
Earlier, Ukrainian electric car drivers began reporting a significant increase in the price of charging their cars. The cost has increased so much that a kilometer of travel in an electric car exceeds the same figure for diesel and gasoline cars.
As a reminder, dev.ua spoke with electric car owners and industry experts about operating cars in conditions of constant electricity shortages and extreme temperatures.
