The global electric car fleet is continuing to grow strongly, with sales set to reach 17 million this year, despite some near-term challenges in some markets.

That is the conclusion of the IEA’s Global EV Outlook which examines key areas in electrically powered mobility, such as the deployment of EVs and charging infrastructure globally, battery demand, investment trends, manufacturing plans and policy developments.

In the first quarter of 2024, global electric car sales grew by about 25 per cent compared with the same period last year – similar to the growth rate seen in the first quarter of 2023, but from a larger base. The number of electric cars sold globally in the first three months of this year is roughly equivalent to the number sold in all of 2020.

EV sales in China are projected in the report to leap to about 10 million, accounting for about 45 per cent of all car sales in the country. In the US, roughly one in nine cars sold are set to be electric – while in Europe electric cars are still set to represent about one in four cars sold in the context of a generally weak outlook for passenger car sales.

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