The International Energy Agency has reported a record number of 3.1 million electric vehicles worldwide in 2017 – a number that is projected to triple by 2019, according to the Washington Examiner.
Between 2016 to 2017, EVs saw a 54 percent increase and a total of 1 million cars sold that year. China accounts for 40 percent of the global total of EVs and was responsible for more than half of the global sales in 2017. The U.S. had the second-highest amount of electric cars sold, with about 280,000 in 2017, up from 160,000 in 2016. The IEA predicted there will be more than 13 million electric vehicles in use globally by 2020, and 125 million by 2030.
The IEA credited cheaper batteries for helping bring down the cost of electric vehicles and improved charging infrastructure that makes them more convenient to drive.
Meanwhile, the report also noted that new policy from the Trump administration could dampen electric vehicle sales. The Environmental Protection Agency last month rejected strict Obama administration fuel efficiency standards, ruling them “not appropriate” because the agency says automakers can’t achieve them.
The Obama administration’s fuel-efficiency and greenhouse gas rules for cars and light trucks set a 54-mile per gallon standard by 2025, up from the current average of 38.3 mpg.
