First quarter 2021 EV global sales at same level as full year 2017
June 8, 2021
Automotive business intelligence agency JATO headquartered in Uxbridge, UK, has reported that, during the first quarter of 2021 alone, sales of pure electric passenger cars matched the total sold throughout the whole of 2017. When compared to Q1 2019, the reported volume has more than doubled.
According to data collated by JATO, which includes forty-five global markets, the sales of EVs in Q1 2021 totalled 727,000 units, with the potential to amount to 750,000 when including the remaining countries. Total volume also increased by 142% compared to the first three months of 2020, when the coronavirus pandemic started to spread across markets.
The growth in battery electric vehicles (BEV) is reported to be helping many brands offset declines registered in the traditional combustion engine market, where the impact of the pandemic can still be seen.
Although the adoption of electric cars is a trend witnessed across many countries, reports JATO; approximately 95% of the global volume is located in China, Europe and USA-Canada. Last year, these three regions accounted for 71% of all light vehicles sales (including all fuel types). It is clear that there is a big disparity and EVs have yet to make traction in the developing world.
China regained the top position for EV sales, after losing it in Q1 2020 when the pandemic hit. Today, 53% of all electric passenger cars sold are in China. In Europe, almost 200,000 units were registered from January – March 2021, becoming a major market for BEVs.
