FRANKFURT (Reuters) – Battery-powered electric vehicles (BEVs) almost doubled their market share in the European Union during the first quarter, industry data showed on Thursday, as the rollout of models across the continent picks up pace.
BEVs accounted for 10% of total passenger car sales in the EU, data from the region’s carmaker association (ACEA) showed, surpassing plug-in hybrid electric vehicles, which took an 8.9% share.
In total, 224,145 BEVs were sold across the EU in the January-March period, up from 146,125 in the same period last year.
Hybrid electric vehicles accounted for more than a quarter of the market, up from around a fifth in the same period last year. Cars powered by petrol and diesel lost market share but still accounted for 52.8% of the EU market during the period.
(Reporting by Christoph Steitz; Editing by Mark Potter)
