Russia’s fuel shortage is hitting Chinese electric car manufacturers

The fuel shortage is accelerating the demand for electric cars in Russia. Both plug-in hybrids and fully electric cars are selling better than ever. The best-selling cars are from Chinese manufacturers Geeline, Dongfengin, GAC:n and Cheryn characters.

The most popular Russian electric car brand is Evolute. It is assembled from components supplied by Dongfeng.

A Muscovite specializing in Chinese brands EN Cars sells two or three electric cars a day, while just a few weeks ago they sold two or three a month, says the company’s founder Yevgeny Zabelin news agency for Reuters.

Sales growth is held back by the fact that car manufacturers and importers were not prepared for a gasoline shortage, and they do not have enough stocks.

Analysis Bureau Autostat of the deputy CEO Sergeri Udalovin according to the possible prolongation of the fuel shortage, sales will increase significantly, and China will be the biggest beneficiary.

Recently, Ukraine has repeatedly attacked Russia’s energy infrastructure. According to Reuters calculations, retail gasoline prices have risen in some areas to their highest levels in Europe, and sales of both diesel and gasoline have been restricted.

In January-May, approximately 24,600 new plug-in hybrids were sold in Russia, which is 125 percent more than a year earlier. 4,460 new fully electric cars were sold, or 19 percent more than before, according to Autostat and the country’s Ministry of Industry.

At the turn of June and July, 1,754 plug hybrids were first registered in one week. It is a third more than the previous week, and almost 50 percent more than the average weekly sales at the beginning of the year.

Last year, the share of plug-in hybrids and fully electric cars in Russian car sales was still a modest 4.3 percent.

According to Reuters, the Russians are also converting their cars to run on liquefied natural gas. Its availability is still at a good level, and the price is lower than gasoline and diesel.