Electric cars: Here's how many were bought in SA last year
A recent study by the IAA's Munich Mobility Show reveals that South America and Africa are far behind other markets when it comes to electric vehicle (EV) sales. Less than 18,000 EVs were sold in South America in 2020, underscoring a large disparity around the world.
The only registrations in Africa, a continent that is home to 1.2 billion people, were exclusively in South Africa and totalled just 1,509 cars through 2020, Reuters reported.
Europe registered the newest EVs in 2020, with a total of 1,368,167 vehicles. As a result, it overtook China (1,246,289 cars) for the first time. Germany once again stands out among European countries with a total of 394,943 new vehicle registrations.
Europe posts strongest growth worldwide
In percentage terms, European markets reported a significant growth in 2020. The number of new vehicle registrations in Germany increased by 263%, followed by Italy (247%) and Denmark (246%). France came next with 202%, while the UK posted growth of 143%. In China, the number of new vehicle registrations climbed 15% from the previous year.
The rate of growth in China is now much slower than in Europe, where the market has grown to almost five times the size it had in 2015, thanks to high subsidies. Growth in the US has now also slowed, as a result of support programmes coming to an end.
Approximately ten million vehicles already on the roads worldwide
The total number of EVs worldwide can be estimated at approximately ten million vehicles. In absolute numbers, the most EVs are in China (4.2 million), followed by Europe (3.2 million) and the US (1.7 million).
Total number of electric cars worldwide: More than 40% of all-electric vehicles drive on Chinese roads
Image source: IAA mobility ranking
Electric vehicles (BEVs and PHEVs) are currently distributed very unevenly between different regions of the world: With 4.2 million vehicles, China currently tops registrations worldwide and has done so since 2010 (cumulative total 9.88 million). However, this lead is shrinking: The European market, which includes the members of the European Free Trade Association (EFTA), in addition to the European Union, accounts for a total of 3.2 million electric vehicles. The US comes in third with 1.7 million vehicles.
