Sales of electric vehicles increase

Portugal has seen sales of electric or hybrid cars increase in the first quarter by 57 percent, compared to the same period in 2019, but associations fear that the trend will fall due to Covid-19.

The figures are part of a study by the European Federation for Transport and Environment (T&E), which brings together European non-governmental organisations in the defense of sustainable transport.
The document released from T&E specifies that in the first quarter of this year 4,777 electric cars were sold, of which 2,676 were 100 percent electric.

The increase, in Portugal and in other countries, proves that “investments in electric cars and electric vehicle production plans, driven by the European Union (EU) carbon dioxide (CO2) limits, were beginning to bear fruit” , stresses the federation, which now fears that electric car sales will not overcome the impacts to the industry caused by Covid-19.
The disease has led to the closure of factories, in a year that was expected to be “the year of the electric car in Europe”.
T&E estimates that the production of electric vehicles will “probably suffer less than that of conventional vehicles” however they highlight that “now that recovery measures are being implemented in Europe, they must ensure that builders give priority to the manufacture of electric vehicles, that is, that governments must provide loan guarantees and liquidity support primarily targeting zero-emission technologies”.