Electric vehicle sales are expected to hit an all-time high this year, according to the International Energy Agency’s (IEA). “Global sales of electric cars have kept rising strongly in 2022, with 2 million sold in the first quarter, up 75% from the same period in 2021” says the Global EV Outlook 2022 report.
Why? Replacing petroleum fuels with electricity is considered crucial for curbing climate change because it cuts carbon dioxide emissions from transportation – the largest source of greenhouse gas emissions. Governments around the world are introducing regulations and incentives to accelerate the shift to clean electric transport.
Cleaner energy system: Despite encouraging signs, stronger efforts are still needed to bring the world on track to reach net zero emissions by 2050, according to the IEA’s latest appraisal of global progress on clean energy technologies. IEA Executive Director Fatih Birol believes that “Today’s global energy crisis can be a turning point towards a cleaner, more affordable and more secure energy system. But this new IEA analysis shows the need for greater and sustained efforts across a range of technologies and sectors to ensure the world can meet its energy and climate goals.”
Electric car sales continue to break records: Few areas in the world of clean energy are as dynamic as the electric car market. Sales of EVs doubled in 2021 from the previous year to a new record of 6.6 million. Nearly 10% of global car sales in 2021 were electric. The total number of electric cars on the world’s roads is now about 16.5 million, triple from 2018.
China accounts for about half of the EV sales last year as more than 3.3 million electric vehicles (EVs) were sold in the Asian country. China now accounts for 95% of new registrations of electric two- and three-wheeler vehicles and 90% of new electric bus and truck registrations worldwide, according to IEA. Sales in Europe showed continued robust growth up by 65% to 2.3 million. EV sales in the United States increased as well to 630,000 after two years of decline. However, fewer than 0.5% of car sales are electric in some of the populated countries including Brazil, India and Indonesia.
Brief: Global electric car sales continue to rise in a major shift toward a cleaner energy system that curbs oil use and fights climate change.
