By Nick Carey LONDON (Reuters) – Global sales of fully electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles (PHEVs) rose 31% in 2023, down from 60% growth in 2022, according to market research firm Rho Motion. “The pace of growth is slowing, but that’s what’s expected in growing markets like this,” Rho Motion data manager Charles Lester told Reuters. “You can’t double every year.” Lester said global EV sales last year were largely in line with the 30% growth Rho Motion had forecast. For 2024, the firm forecasts global EV sales growth of between 25% and 30%. Sales in December hit a monthly record of 1.5 millio…