Electric and hybrid car sales surge in Russia as nationwide fuel shortage drags on

Russia's fuel crisis has sparked a surge in electric and hybrid vehicle sales—up eighty percent between late June and mid-July, Meduza reports, compared to the first-half average. The shortage stems from Ukrainian drone strikes on Russian oil refineries that have forced temporary production halts. Now in its third month, the crisis has prompted drivers to embrace electrified vehicles despite infrastructure challenges like sparse charging networks. More drivers find it cost-effective to recharge rather than fill up with increasingly scarce gasoline. The state nuclear corporation Rosatom's electric vehicle charging network saw eighty percent more sessions between early June and early July. Analysts expect fuel production to recover only toward year-end.

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