Global demand for electric vehicles rose for a second straight month in April as high petrol prices kept steering buyers away from combustion-engine cars, data from consultancy Benchmark Mineral Intelligence showed on Wednesday. Registrations of new battery-electric vehicles and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles rose 6% from a year earlier to 1.6 million in April, a proxy for sales, although they fell 9% from March's record monthly high, BMI said. "Demand continues to be supported by policy incentives, rising petrol prices, and growing Chinese OEM presence," BMI said in a statement. Governments kept measures in place to limit fuel prices after war in the Middle East disrupted a major shipping route for oil.