Greener Living
Spiking Oil Prices Spurred a EV Buying Spree in March
Electric car sales surged in Europe and parts of Asia, counteracting a slowdown in the US and China.
Potential customers inspect an electric car at a dealership in Berlin.
Photographer: Sean Gallup/Getty ImagesThe war in Iran and the turmoil it has set off in global oil markets is fueling a surge in electric car sales in much of the world.
In March, the first four weeks since the bombing began, consumers in France, Germany and the UK drove off in 206,200 EVs, a 44% increase over the year-earlier period. In South Korea, electric car transactions more than doubled. In Italy, where the path to electrification has been slow, 16,000 battery-powered vehicles left dealerships last month, a 67% increase.