Plug-ins pick up the pace

Plug-in light vehicle sales globally have risen 66% in the first half of 2018.

They have now reached 783,000 units, EV-volumes.com reports.

“This is a 66% growth over the same period last year. BEVs (battery electric vehicles) accounted for 64% and PHEVs (plug-in electric vehicles) 36% of this volume,” the EV world sales database says.

The fastest growing markets included Denmark (up 691%), South Korea (169%), Canada (168%), Finland (148%), The Netherlands (126%), Portugal (119%) and China (105%). The latter is the largest growth contributor with sales expected to increase by more than 500,000 units to 1.1 million in 2018. However, although China had a strong start to this year, new requirements for electric range (150km plus) and specific battery capacity (exceeding 105Wh/kg) for subsidy approval put a lid on sales of some very popular small EVs. EV-volumes.com therefore predicts EV growth in China to slow for the rest of this year until OEMs sort compliance issues.

Australia ranked within the top 10, recording a 98% increase for the first half of 2018 and a 132% growth in the first quarter of this year, with New Zealand 99% up in the first quarter.

The Tesla Model 3 will contribute more than 130,000 additional units this year, EV-volumes.com says. While deliveries in 2018 were restricted to the USA and Canada, the Model 3 was the world’s best selling EV of all categories in June, July and probably August and following months, it adds.

The latest figures have prompted EV-volumes.com to increase its forecast of passenger car plug-in sales to reach 2.1 million units this year (up 64% on 2017).

It expects global plug-in light vehicle sales to reach a cumulative 5.4 million units by the end of the year (up 64%) and even six million units if heavy vehicles are included.

Most markets are increasing in plug-in sales this year except Japan, mostly because of its lack of plug-in alternatives and the scaling down of its nuclear power, EV-volumes.com says.

However, Japan leads in non plug-in hybrid EVs (HEVs) with 47% of global sales in that country, the data company says.

Norway remains the share leader in plug-in light EVs which accounted for 37% of new car sales, followed by Iceland (14%) and Sweden (5%) in the first half of this year.

In the first quarter, Germany had the highest volume gains and looked set to pass Norway as Europe’s largest plug-in market. But supply constraints held back sales in Europe’s larger EV markets like Germany over the first half of this year, EV-volumes.com reports.

It says delivery times of six months or more are now common in Europe, where most cars are built to order. Production increases have been announced for the coming model year.

Visit ev-volumes.com for more information.