Skip to main content

Norway continues to lead global electric vehicle market

Norway continues to lead the global market for electric vehicles, according to the most recent plug-in electric vehicle (PEV) index from IHS Automotive, part of business information provider IHS Markit. Plug-in electric vehicles are defined as either a pure Battery Electric Vehicle (BEV) or a Plug-In Hybrid Vehicle (PHEV). Based on analysis of new vehicle registrations during the first quarter 2016, one out of every three vehicles registered in Norway during the quarter was a plug-in electric vehicle, r
September 23, 2016 Read time: 3 mins
Norway continues to lead the global market for electric vehicles, according to the most recent plug-in electric vehicle (PEV) index from IHS Automotive, part of business information provider IHS Markit. Plug-in electric vehicles are defined as either a pure Battery Electric Vehicle (BEV) or a Plug-In Hybrid Vehicle (PHEV).

Based on analysis of new vehicle registrations during the first quarter 2016, one out of every three vehicles registered in Norway during the quarter was a plug-in electric vehicle, reflecting more market penetration in Norway than any other major market tracked by IHS Markit within the index. In a previous study from IHS Markit, one in four vehicles registered in Norway during the same timeframe a year ago were a PEV, which demonstrates the continued commitment to alternative propulsion vehicles in this country.

The Netherlands also continues to be a hot market for electric vehicles, but has lost momentum recently and trails significantly behind – with just 2.2 per cent share of all new vehicles registered there being electric. France is gaining, with 1.6 per cent share. The UK is the only other market tracked with share of more than one per cent, with 1.3 per cent of all vehicles registered there being electric.

Other key markets still remain below a one per cent average in electric vehicle market share – with the US, Germany, Japan and China ranking further down in the index. While China leads in volume, with more than 32,000 electric vehicles registered during the quarter, its market share for EVs is just 0.5 percent. Additionally, recent announcements by authorities there aimed at potentially curbing the number of EV manufacturers may have an even greater impact on overall production in the region. Likewise, the US also has high volumes, with more than 26,000 units registered during the first quarter, however, just less than one percent of the total market.

Based on IHS Markit research, regional legislative activities have driven the EV movement in certain locations. Norway has historically been supportive with EV incentive programs and other efforts toward adopting green technology.

“Attractive incentives in France are also spurring EV growth there,” said Ben Scott, senior automotive analyst for IHS Markit. “However, a recent change in PHEV taxation in the Netherlands has somewhat inhibited the market in this country.”

German authorities recently enacted a new subsidy for PEVs during the second quarter, and IHS Markit analysts predict an uptick there is on the horizon.

“Consumers in Japan have been more interested in traditional hybrids. However recent changes in subsidy may drive PEV uptake as well as hydrogen fuel cell vehicles,” Scott said.

More countries are developing policies for incentives and building charging infrastructure capability, however, they will be unable to sustain these developments alone. Increased production of electric vehicles across the manufacturing base is required to make them more affordable for consumers, in order to allow for substantial growth of these types of vehicles, IHS Markit says.

In current forecasts from IHS Markit, it is expected that plug-in electric vehicles will account for just four per cent of light vehicles produced globally in 2020, up from about 1 percent in 2016, when the company expects an estimated one million electric vehicles produced globally by the end of the year.

Related Content

  • December 2, 2016
    Cars reinvented: huge new opportunities and dangers, says IDTechEx
    The new IDTechEx report, Electric Car Technology and Forecasts 2017-2027 finds that the biggest change in cars for one hundred years is now starting. It is driven by totally new requirements and capabilities. They will cause huge new businesses to appear but some giants currently making cars and their parts will spectacularly go bankrupt. Cities will ban private cars but encourage cars as autonomous taxis and rental vehicles. Already 65 per cent of cars in China are bought by businesses. The Japanese wa
  • December 18, 2015
    Profitable niches in the electric vehicles market
    Vehicles are electrifying at a breakneck speed and they are being completely reinvented with developments in many components and systems, according to a report by IDTechEx Research. Disruptive change and significant technological innovation is now being seen across all forms of electric vehicles for land, water and air. The fruits of all this are spectacular – from the vehicles themselves to over US$500 billion market opportunity that will be created by 2026. IDTechEx Research analyses and forecasts eve
  • August 26, 2016
    Installed base of fleet management systems in Europe to reach 10.6 million by 2020
    The number of active fleet management systems deployed in commercial vehicle fleets in Europe was 5.3 million in Q4-2015, according to a new research report from the M2M/IoT analyst firm Berg Insight. Growing at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 14.9 percent, this number is expected to reach 10.6 million by 2020. All the top-10 vendors have today more than 100,000 active units in Europe. TomTom’s subscriber base has grown both organically and by acquisitions during the past years and the company ha
  • July 30, 2015
    Most EV charging ‘takes place at home’
    New analysis by plug-in vehicle campaign Go Ultra Low suggests that British motorists could no longer have to rely on the conventional petrol station. More than 90 per cent of electric vehicle (EV) charging takes place at home while total charging volumes have almost tripled since 2014, according to new usage data from leading infrastructure provider Chargemaster. Coupled with bumper uptake of plug-in vehicles – more than 14,500 were registered in the first half of 2015 – the new findings point to the po