Electric, hybrid vehicle sales rise in US, Europe

Of the European countries experiencing rises in demand for electric cars, Norway was No. 1 in sales growth in the first six months of 2014 compared to 2013, up 302 percent. The country now accounts for 34 percent of the market share in Europe in 2014. Rounding off the top three was Denmark and Belgium with increases of 254 percent and 223 percent respectively. 

US hybrid vehicle market growing
In addition to the surge in electric car sales in Europe, the hybrid vehicle market in the U.S. increased at a steady level with almost 45,000 units sold in July, accounting for 0.4 percent of the total market, HybridCars.com reported. Toyota led the charge in sales growth with the Prius Liftback and the Camry Hybrid seeing double digit gains in July. The rise in hybrid sales could be attributed to increasing fuel costs as well as more awareness about greenhouse gas emissions generated from conventional fuel resources. 

According to Toyota, Prius models have helped save nearly $5 billion in fuel costs in the U.S. compared to driving a regular car and prevented about 26.5 million tons of carbon dioxide emissions in the last 14 years.