2017 was another record year for electric car sales with over one million of them sold across the world. The total number of electric vehicles (EVs) on roads surpassed three million last year, a 50 percent expansion on 2016. 720,000 of them are driving in the United States, while there 820,000 are in circulation in Europe. EV technology has also gotten big in China and it boasts the largest fleet of electric cars, with 1.23 million in total.
A report from the International Energy Agency provided an overview of the global EV market in 2017. China had the highest sales of battery electric (BEV) and plug-in hybrid (PHEV) vehicles of any nation by a considerable distance with 579,000 sold in total. They have a 2.2 percent market share which is more than EVs can boast in the U.S. where they only have a 1.2 percent of slice of the automobile market.
U.S. drivers bought 198,350 EVs last year while in France, 118,770 were sold. Norway has a famous love affair with the electric car, boosting its market with generous incentives and exceptional infrastructure. In 2017, sales were still strong with 62,260 EVs sold and a market share of 39 percent. The technology is still struggling for traction on developing countries where infrastructure and road quality still have a long way to go. Last year, only 2,000 EVs were sold in India while in Brazil, sales only amounted to a very disappointing 300 vehicles.
source: statista