Electric, Hybrid Vehicle Sales Increase in Bulgaria

Bulgaria reported on Wednesday a double-digit rise in the number of environment-friendly electric-powered and hybrid personal motor vehicles.

There were 497 electric-powered personal vehicles registered in Bulgaria at the end of last year, an increase of 36% on 2013.

The number of Bulgarian-registered hybrid motor vehicles, which combine an internal combustion engine and one or more electric motors to move, has grown by 61% year-on-year, reaching 1,031 at the end of 2014, according to a new report submitted for consideration to the government.

The report is looking into the implementation of the 2012-2014 national plan for promoting production and accelerating introduction of environment-friendly motor vehicles, including electric-powered cars, the government press service announced.

According to the report, foreign investors are increasingly interested in producing details and components in Bulgaria for electric vehicles manufactured by leading car makers thanks to the tax incentives offered by the country to the buyers of electric-powered cars, motor bikes and mini bikes.

Though the number of electric and hybrid vehicles in the report is still negligible compared to the volume of new and used car sales in Bulgaria, the rate of increase appears impressive.

According to data from the European Automobile Manufacturers Association (ACEA) 20,356 new passenger cars were sold in Bulgaria last year, an increase from 19,352 in 2013.

As of April 2014 there were 3.5 million registered motor vehicles in Bulgaria, of which 2,8 million were passenger cars, according to unofficial data. Bulgaria's population is about seven million.