Electric and Hybrid Car Sales Surge in Russia Amid Fuel Shortage

Demand for electric and hybrid vehicles has surged in Russia, leaving some models in short supply, according to the Russian business daily Kommersant, citing dealers and distributors.

Data from the analytics agency Avtostat, cited by the newspaper, shows that sales of new hybrids and electric vehicles rose 80 percent between June 29 and July 19 compared with the average weekly figure for the first half of the year.

Dealer network representatives attribute the rise in buyer interest to the country's fuel crisis. Denis Migal, founder of the Fresh car marketplace, said the fuel crisis has "given a sharp boost" to sales: "Until recently, the product wasn't the most sought-after. But problems like 'not enough highway chargers' and 'embarrassingly high winter energy consumption' pale in comparison to the blank screens at gas stations."

The Bell, an independent Russian outlet, had earlier reported that the number of charging sessions on the electric vehicle charging network run by Rosatom rose 80 percent in early July compared with the start of the previous month. The increase was partly attributed to more plug-in hybrid vehicles visiting the charging stations. "It seems that for them, it's now actually more cost-effective to recharge the battery than to keep spending on gasoline," said Valery Markelov, head of the network.

Russia's fuel crisis has continued for more than two months. The shortage of gasoline at gas stations stems partly from an increase in Ukrainian drone strikes on Russian oil refineries, causing many facilities to temporarily halt fuel production. The government is taking various measures to overcome the crisis. However, analysts predict fuel production will increase only closer to the end of the year.