A recent Finbold study revealed that 1,177,637 electric passenger cars were registered across Europe in the first quarter of 2023, signalling an increase in the demand for electric vehicles across Europe.

According to the report seen by Peoples Gazette on Thursday, the largest number of registrations, which included those from the European Union, the United Kingdom, and the European Free Trade Association were registered in March at 494,270.

February was closely followed by 359,752 registrations, while January saw 323,615 registrations. Between January and March, registered passenger electric vehicles in Europe increased by 52.94 per cent.

Data from the report also showed that, with 667,559 registrations, hybrid electric vehicles had the biggest share of the over 1.7 million vehicles registered in the first quarter of 2023.

Battery electric vehicles came in second with 320,857 registrations, and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles came in third with 189,221 registrations.

The report identifies a variety of factors that contribute to Europe’s quick adoption of electric vehicles, including a wealthy, climate-conscious populace, strong government backing for electric vehicles, and the expansion of a significant public-private network for electric vehicle charging infrastructure.

Earlier on Thursday, the Guardian UK reported electric vehicle sales in Australia surpassed petrol-powered vehicles for the first time in history in the medium-sized car category.