Sales of Electric Vehicles Rise 13% in the U.S.

The electric car market of the United States, the fiercest battlefield for the global electric vehicle makers, is continuing to grow. According to the hybridcars.com of the U.S., the sales of electric vehicles in the country totaled 10,873 units in the first quarter of this year, up 13.4 percent from a year ago.

Nissan’s Leaf came on top in terms of sales there, with 5,184 units, up 46.5 percent from a year before. As of the end of March 2014, the Nissan Leaf had a market share of 54.7 percent. The Leaf is the only electric vehicle in the world which, as of January 2014, exceeded the 100,000 mark in cumulative sales since it was released in 2010.

Following the Leaf was the Model S by Tesla Motors of the United States. It ranked No. 2 with sales of 4,000 units. Its sales were down 15.8 percent compared to a year ago but it still maintains a high market share of 28.4 percent.

Hyundai Motor and Kia Motors have not yet entered the U.S. electric car market. Kia Motors, however, plans to release its brand-new electric car Soul EV soon in the world’s largest auto market.