Electric car sales set a new market share record in the European Union in 2022, industry figures have shown, as the region seeks to rid itself of fossil fuel cars. Battery-powered electric cars accounted for 12.1 percent of new car sales, compared to 9.1 percent in 2021 and 1.9 percent in 2019, according to the European Automobile Manufacturers' Association (ACEA). The EU has agreed to ban sales of new petrol and diesel cars from 2035 as part of the 27-nation bloc's effort to build a carbon-neutral economy by 2050.

Sales of electric vehicles rose 28 percent last year, with more than 1.1 million vehicles sold. In Norway, a record four out of five new cars (79 percent) sold last year were electric, in a major oil-producing country that aims to end the sale of new fossil fuel cars by 2025 — a decade ahead of the EU's ban. The Italian market was the only one to put a brake on the electric engine in 2022, with sales falling by 26.9 percent. It was also a strong year for hybrid cars, which achieved a market share of 22.6 percent.