There are now more than 400,000 electric cars on the world's roads - twice as many as a year ago, and on current trends there will be a million by 2016. Leading the market are the USA, Japan and China - while Europe trails behind. The number of electrically powered automobiles worldwide climbed to just over 400,000 in early 2014. This figure was determined in an analysis conducted by the Centre for Solar Energy and Hydrogen Research Baden-Württemberg (ZSW).
There are now more than 400,000 electric cars on the world's roads - twice as many as a year ago, and on current trends there will be a million by 2016. Leading the market are the USA, Japan and China - while Europe trails behind.
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The number of electrically powered automobiles worldwide climbed to just over 400,000 in early 2014.
This figure was determined in an analysis conducted by the Centre for Solar Energy and Hydrogen Research Baden-Württemberg (ZSW).
The vehicle count doubled over the twelve months of last year, increasing by an impressive 200,000 units.
The Ulm-based researchers found that demand is greatest in the USA, Japan and China, which are currently the globally leading markets. Germany is just seventh in the ranking, trailing France, the Netherlands and Norway.
Incentives are driving markets
The most telling statistic is that countries with incentive programs have taken the lead in electric mobility, a market with a bright future. The top-selling cars are made by Japanese and American automotive companies. Batteries are sourced mainly from Asia. Incentive programs have sparked a run on electric cars in the lead markets. This benefits especially the pioneering companies Nissan, General Motors and Toyota.
"Efforts in Germany are also quite impressive", says Prof. Werner Tillmetz, a member of ZSW's board of directors at Ulm.
"However, it will take far more effort to establish a lead market in this country with an end-to-end value chain that includes the key component, the battery. Otherwise we will be left behind by the global competition."
Research into batteries has been stepped up significantly and automobile manufacturers are fast-tracking the development of advanced electric drives.
Sharp, steady global growth over the last three years
According to ZSW's study, the number of registered electric vehicles increased at an annual growth rate of over 100% in the last three years.
Nearly 100,000 electric cars were on the road worldwide in early 2012. A year later the vehicle count came to 200,000, and already reached 405,000 early this year.
If the past three years' growth rates are sustained, then more than one million electric vehicles will be out and about worldwide as early as the beginning of 2016.
Continue reading at ENN affiliate, The Ecologist.
Electric Car image via Shutterstock.
