There are now more than one million electric cars on the streets of Europe, according to new data from EV-Volumes, an industry analysis group. That number is expected to reach 1.35 million by the end of the 2018. Europe hit the one million EVs milestone a year after China, but ahead of the United States, The Guardian reported.
Across Europe, 195,000 electric vehicles were sold in the first half of 2018, up 42 percent from the same period last year, with Germany and Norway, which alone accounts for 37 percent of this year’s sales, driving the industry’s rapid growth. EV-Volumes estimates a total 430,000 EVs will be sold in Europe by the end of the year.
“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,” Viktor Irle, a market analyst at EV-Volumes, told The Guardian.
In total, EVs still only accounted for 2 percent of all new car, van, and light truck sales in Europe. By the end of 2018, it is forecast to hit 2.35 percent.
