Industry figures have now revealed that global sales of electric cars (including plug-in electric cars) exceeded 300,000 units in 2014 split between 57% battery and 43% petrol hybrid plug-in vehicles.
Then in the UK from June 2014 to June 2015 battery EV sales increased by 83% from 2,558 to 4,681 with petrol-hybrid EV sales increasing by 520% from 1,538 to 9,541.
By the end of this September cumulative UK registered electric vehicles had reached 40,000.
As comparison, the US has 275,000 EVs on the road, Japan 108,000 and China 83,000.
In terms of market share across the world Norway leads with 12% (but a small market), followed by the Netherlands 4% and then, after the US, Sweden, Denmark, France, Japan and Germany the UK trails along at 2% and in 9th place (but catching up).
The top selling battery electric car in the UK as elsewhere remains the Nissan Leaf.
The top-selling petrol-hybrid plug-in EV – marketed as the “greenest SUV” is the Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV and in UK outsells even the Leaf. However, it only provides 32 miles of all-electric driving (compared to 85 miles plus with the Leaf) and is heavier, more expensive and has 3 engines – 2 electric motors and a petrol engine.
World wide EV sales are expected to be 5 million units a year by 2025 roughly split into thirds by the EU, the US and the Rest of the World (led by China).