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Hyundai Nexo (provided by Hyundai Motor)

The number of hydrogen vehicles sold in a single month in South Korea has surpassed 1,000 for the first time.

A report on April automobile industry trends released Sunday by the Ministry of Trade, Energy and Industry (MOTIE) states that domestic sales of the Nexo hydrogen fuel-cell electric car reached 1,265 in April, a 59.1% increase from April last year.

This was the first time more than 1,000 hydrogen vehicles were sold in a single month, breaking the record of 934 set in March.

“Although there is a lack of charging infrastructure for hydrogen vehicles and they come with a high sticker price, the actual purchase price is low due to government subsidies, which has led to this result,” a Hyundai Motor official said.

Domestic sales of eco-friendly vehicles, including hydrogen cars, reached 25,269 in April, a 41.3% increase over the same period last year. Eco-friendly vehicles accounted for 15.7% of all cars sold in April. They accounted for 8.5% and 10.7% of all cars sold in April of 2019 and 2020.

“This was the result of a new model (the IONIQ5 EV) hitting the market, as well as increased sales of the Porter EV (+144.2%), Bongo EV (+158.8%) and Nexo,” the MOTIE report said.

Exports of eco-friendly vehicles are also booming, reaching 32,838 in April, a 44% year-on-year increase. Eco-friendly vehicles made up 18% of all automobile exports in April, which exceeds the 9.3% recorded in 2019 but falls slightly short of the 2020 figure of 19.2%.

Exports of eco-friendly vehicles this April amounted to US$930 million, setting a new record that is 60.2% higher than the equivalent figure from 2020. The previous record was US$900 million, set in January this year. These numbers were bolstered by a substantial 122.5% increase in hybrid car exports.

By Kim Young-bae, senior staff writer

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