Sales of electric vehicles reached a record high last month, accounting for one in every 12 new cars purchased in the UK. The Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) said hybrid, plug-in hybrid and pure electric cars made up 8% of the overall market. The number of total vehicles registered was up 23% on the same period in 2017. But SMMT’s chief executive warned "it would be wrong to view the market as booming". "August is always a small month in new car registrations ahead of the important plate-change month of September," Mike Hawes said. Last month 7,489 electric and alternative fuel vehicles were sold, up from the 3,968 sold in August of 2017. In total 94,094 cars were sold last month. Mercedes takes on Tesla with electric SUV While calling the surge in electric sales an "extraordinary achievement", Ian Gilmartin of Barclays urged caution, alluding to the fact that the British car industry has had a bruising few months, suffering from a 4% decline in sales so far this year. "Regulatory changes that came into force at the start of September led to some very generous deals being offered in August which will have brought sales forward," […]
Click here to view original web page at Electric vehicle sales surge in UK as fuel prices rise
