Electric car uptake reaches tipping point in China and Europe

The Driven

More than 2.6 million electric vehicles were sold across two of the world’s major markets in 2020, with Europe selling almost as many plug-in electric cars as China, new data has shown.

Analysts are predicting EV sales will continue to increase both in China and Europe in 2021, sending a strong signal that the transition to clean transport is moving into a phase of rapid adoption.

Across the Western European market, plug-in electric car sales rose to 12.3% of car sales in 2020, according to auto analyst Matthias Schmidt, while the broader market fell 25% during the pandemic to 1985 levels of just 10.8 million.

In China, meanwhile, EV sales reached 5.4% of the broader market in 2020. Energy economist Gregor McDonald notes this indicates both markets have reached the critical 5% level that is pinned by growth research as a take-off point for new technology.

EV sales are tipped to rise to 15% of the entire auto market in 2021 by clean transport lobby Transport & Environment (T&E), and China’s auto industry body CAAM expects the country’s EV sales to rise by 40% in 2021 to 1.8 million. In both markets, EV leader Tesla is either planning or already conducting local production.

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