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BUCHAREST, Oct. 21 (Xinhua) -- The sales of new eco-friendly cars almost doubled in the first three quarters of 2018 in Romania, compared to the same period of last year, according to the latest data released by the Automotive Manufacturers and Importers Association (APIA).

As many as 2,922 new eco-friendly cars were sold in Romania during the reference period, an increase of 99.83 percent, out of which 2,274 units are hybrid plug-in cars and 648 all-electric vehicles, the official Agerpres news agency reported on Sunday quoting APIA.

The share of new eco-friendly cars in total sales at national level was 2.6 percent, while in the same period of 2017 the share stood at 1.9 percent.

The sales of new eco-friendly have received support from the government which launched the "Rabla Plus" incentive program in March 15 this year for buyers of an eco-friendly car.

According to the environment ministry, citizens who have a car older than eight years and want to access "Rabla Plus", do not necessarily have to scrap the old car. They can go directly to the car dealer and apply for the 10,000-euro grant.

However, every owner who wants to scrap the old car, he can add to the 10,000 euro (11,450 U.S. dollars), another 6,500 lei (1,600 dollars) from scrapping.

The ministry also announced that for recharging stations of electric cars, the Environment Fund Administration has promoted a state assistance scheme for connecting cities or the national road network, which is awaiting the approval of the European Commission.