Global Automotive Market: Electric Vehicles and Hybrids Grow Differently by Region

Image: BYD (illustrative)

The global electrification of the automotive market is advancing, though with significant regional differences. This is shown in an analysis by Automotive News on the global development of electric vehicles.

While China and Europe are focusing more on battery electric vehicles, hybrid drives play a larger role in the United States. According to predictions published by the industry portal and sourced from GlobalData, the share of hybrid vehicles in global new car sales is expected to rise from 16 percent last year to 23 percent by 2031.

China holds a leading position in the production of electric vehicles and is expected to account for over 66 percent of global electric vehicle production by 2026. The analysis further shows that BYD and Tesla top the manufacturer production rankings, followed by Geely and Volkswagen.

The sales markets are developing differently: The U.S. lags behind other markets in the sales of electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles, while Norway has a particularly high proportion of electric vehicles. An additional increase in global electric vehicle sales is expected by 2030, with regional differences in the development of different types of powertrains.

The market comparison shows that in North America and parts of Asia, traditional hybrid vehicles are set to grow, while Europe is focusing more on battery-electric models, and China is seeing growth in both electric vehicles and hybrids. In the U.S., hybrid vehicles without external charging options have already surpassed battery-electric cars and become the second most popular type of vehicle, although combustion engine vehicles still hold the largest market share.

There are also significant regional differences in the development of public fast-charging infrastructure. According to data compiled by Automotive News, over 81 percent of the world’s nearly 2.7 million public fast-charging ports are located in China. Europe has 230,000 fast-charging stations, and the U.S. has 70,000.

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About the author

Thomas Langenbucher is an expert in electromobility with professional experience in the automotive industry and finance sector. Since 2011, he has been covering electric vehicles, sustainable technologies, and mobility solutions on ecomento.de. Learn more.

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