Sales of electric vehicles in China rocketed in the first six months of 2013.
A boost for EVs |
Both pure electric vehicles and plug-in hybrids proved popular in the first half of the year, with sales reaching 5,889 units, according to the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers.
EVs sales accounted for 87% of sales at 5,114 units, while plug-in hybrids made up 13% of the total at 775 units sold.
In the year to June, conventional hybrid vehicle sales almost doubled from a year-earlier to 10,048 units. Natural gas-powered vehicle sales also increased significantly to 43,562 units.
With year-on-year sales figures looking stronger in comparison to last year’s slump, rising deliveries are good news for manufacturers and dealers alike, who have both struggled to find a market for alternative energy vehicles.
Nonetheless, the overall EV market still lags far behind government targets, which stand at 500,000 EVs and plug-in hybrids by 2015 and 5 million by 2020.