Electric, hybrid motor vehicles number 6,017 by end-2020 in Malta

Electric and hybrid motor vehicles numbered 6,017 by the end of 2020, data released by the National Statistics Office shows. Of this, 2,533 motor vehicles were electric, 3,395 were found to be Electric/Petrol Hybrid and just 89 were Electric//Diesel Hybrid.

Despite making up just 1.5 per cent of the entire stock of motor vehicles, demand for the environmentally-friendlier mode of transportation is on the rise.

When comparing 2019 with 2020, the stock of electric and hybrid vehicles increased by 1,524 motor vehicles.

When comparing the fourth quarter of 2020 with the previous, increases of 15.6 per cent, 10.5 per cent and eight per cent were registered in the Electric/Diesel Hybrid, Electric/Petrol Hybrid and Electric motor vehicles, respectively.

This is complemented by a Government promise to increase the number of charging pillars available in Malta by installing a further 130 in the coming year. Currently, there are 56 Government-owned electric vehicle charging points.

By the end of December 2020, Malta registered a total of 402,427 licenced vehicles, while the population is now in excess of 500,000 people.

The overall stock of licensed motor vehicles had increased by a net average of 20 per day when comparing Q4 with Q3 2020.

Passenger cars accounted for 76.6 per cent of the entire stock of motor vehicles, followed by commercial vehicles at 13.9 per cent, and motorcycles/quads and all-terrain vehicles at 8.3 per cent. Buses and minibuses made up less that one per cent.