EV sales slide in Europe, led by German plunge

STORY: Sales of new battery-electric cars in the EU dropped sharply in May.

They were down 12% from a year before, led by a 30% plunge in Germany.

That's according to data released Thursday by Europe's auto industry body.

The market share of fully electric cars fell to 12.5%, down from a year ago.

However, electrified vehicles as a whole, including hybrids, made up just under half of all new EU passenger car registrations in May, slightly up from a year before.

Overall new car sales in the EU fell 3% in May from a year before.

Demand for EVs in Europe has cooled in recent months, after rising strongly for several years.

Competition to produce more affordable models has also grown.

Last week, the European Commission said it would impose tariffs of up to 38.1% on China-made EVs from July.

It's aimed at protecting domestic automakers from an influx of cheap EV imports.

Tesla said last week it expected to raise the price of its China-made Model 3 due to the EU measures.

Elon Musk's company recorded a drop of more than a third in May sales in the EU.