UK electric car sales have jumped by 25 per cent in the last quarter, new figures have shown.
Data from the government's £5,000 electric car grant scheme shows that 1,149 new electric cars were registered for use on British roads between July and September, making it the most successful quarter since the scheme began in January 2011.
The news comes as Carlos Ghosn, CEO of Renault-Nissan admitted that the company will miss out on its target of selling 1.5 million electric cars worldwide by 2016. Ghosn now believes it will take until 2020 to reach this milestone.
Speaking to the Financial Times, Ghosn blamed the lack of charging infrastructure for the slow take-up of electric vehicles, saying: "We have to admit, it is slower than we thought. But it is slower for the reason that we thought infrastructure building would be faster. It is not."
But despite the relatively slow take-up of electric cars, the new government figures do suggest that the tide is beginning to turn. Not only is the technology which underpins electric cars improving rapidly, but the nationwide charging infrastructure is expanding. Most importantly though, with cars such as the new VW XL1, the BMW i3, the Renault Zoe, the Tesla and the new electric Kia Soul, electric car buyers are being offered a wealth of choice which was simply not available even two years ago.
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