Frankfurt, Jul 15 (AP) The coronavirus has cancelled business plans all over the world but Europe's push into electric cars isn't one of them.

Sales of battery-powered and hybrid cars have held up better than the overall market amid a deeply painful recession, mainly thanks to the action of governments.

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The 27-country European Union is moving ahead with a major shift in transportation as part of the bloc's efforts against climate change.

Under regulatory pressure carmakers are rolling out a slew of new electric models so they can meet tougher limits on greenhouse gases that come into full force next year.

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Battery-only models are becoming more affordable, especially as sales are supported by substantial government subsidies. As sales of internal combustion cars have fallen, demand for battery-only cars and hybrids that combine electric motors with conventional engines has been stable or even increased, recent statistics show. By contrast, electric car adoption is moving more slowly in the US due to regulatory uncertainty.

The market share of battery and hybrid vehicles rose sharply across major European markets during the first half of the year, even as the outbreak closed showrooms in March and April. Germany saw an increase to 8.4% from 3.4% a year earlier as overall sales of all car types slumped 35%. France saw the plug-in share jump to 9% from 2.5%. Sweden saw a surge to 25%, from 10%.

One of the pandemic car buyers was Frank Schendel, a dentist from a small town outside the Bavarian city of Augsburg.

In May he bought a battery-powered Hyundai Kona Elektro, a compact SUV-style hatchback. He had rented a Tesla on vacation for a couple of days.

“My son is getting his driver's license at the moment, and a Tesla is bit too expensive and too fast, so I was glad to discover the Hyundai Kona,” he said. He hasn't driven his 10-year-old Mercedes E-Class station wagon since.

“It's fun, fast and quiet, technologically up to date," said Schendel, 52. “We drive the Kona everywhere: 500 kilometers to visit grandma, grocery shopping. We do every trip with the Kona.”

The 64 kilowatt-hour battery has a range of up to 484 kilometers, enough to reach grandma with just one stop at a highway charging station.

Electric car buyers are attracted by large government incentives. Under the German government's latest stimulus package, for example, an electric car with a price tag under 40,000 euros is eligible for a 9,000-euro incentive, 3,000 euros of that to be paid by the manufacturer.(AP)

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)