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

  • Nissan and Enel launch vehicle-to-grid project in the UK
    May 12, 2016
    Automotive manufacturer Nissan and multinational power company Enel are to launch a major vehicle-to-grid (V2G) trial in the UK, which will see one hundred V2G units installed and connected at locations agreed by private and fleet owners of the Nissan LEAF and e-NV200 electric van. By giving Nissan electric vehicle owners the ability to plug their vehicles into the V2G system, owners will have the flexibility and power to sell stored energy from their vehicle battery back to the National Grid. The annou
  • U.S. parking sector to help grow workplace electric vehicle charging
    February 1, 2013
    The American parking industry is backing a government initiative to expand electric vehicle charging stations in the workplace. The International Parking Institute (IPI) has become a founding ambassador in the US DoE’s Workplace Charging Challenge, the latest element of the EV Everywhere Grand Challenge, announced by Secretary of Energy Steven Chu at the recent Washington Auto Show’s Public Policy Day. The Workplace Charging Challenge is assisting the growth of plug-in electric vehicles (PEVs) by urging emp
  • Car-sharing service membership will grow to 26 million worldwide in 2020
    November 30, 2015
    According to a new research report by Berg Insight, the number of users of car-sharing services worldwide is forecasted to grow from 6.5 million people in 2015 at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 32.0 per cent to reach 26.0 million people in 2020. Berg Insight forecasts that the number of cars used for car-sharing services will grow at a compound annual growth rate of 29.6 per cent from 123,000 at the end of 2015 to 450,000 at the end of 2020. Car-sharing is one of many car-based mobility service
  • Autoliv building airbag cushion plant in Thailand
    April 19, 2012
    To support the rapid growth in vehicle production and airbag fitment rates in Asia, Autoliv has begun the construction of an airbag cushion manufacturing plant in Chonburi, near Bangkok. The company’s existing airbag cushion plant in Thailand opened just two years ago. The new facility will have capacity to produce 4.6 million cushions corresponding to 15 per cent of Autoliv’s global manufacturing capacity for 'cut & sewn' textile cushions for airbag systems. Autoliv also produces 20 million highly autom