New figures have revealed the sales of electric cars in Europe soar by over 40 percent for the first half of 2018.
For the first half of this year, electric car sales reached 195,000 across Europe, with the cumulative total expected to reach 1.35 million by the end of the year, according to industry analysts EV-Volumes.
“A stock of one million electric vehicles is an important milestone on the road to electrification and meeting emission targets but it is of course not enough,” said Viktor Irle from EV-Volumes.
The plug-in cars have been found to be most popular in Norway, where government incentives mean electric cars are proving popular. Sales reached 36,500 and the country responsible for 37 percent of new vehicle registrations.
Sales in Germany and the Netherlands have also seen increases
Germany means Europe’s biggest car market and the state is expected to overtake Norway by the end of the year for total sales.
In the UK, 30,040 plug-in cars and vans were sold in the first half of the year. Sales of plug-in hybrids increased by 50 percent.
“The one millionth sale this year is a clear signal of consumer intent. Access to low-cost, well-located charging from abundant power sources is crucial for capturing this momentum,” said Matt Allen, CEO of Pivot Power, a group that hopes to build a UK-wide network of electric car chargers.
The US is also expected to see a growth in electric car sales this year thanks to the excitement over Tesla’s (NASDAQ: TSLA) latest model.