Electric Cars Break Into the Global Mainstream

Electric vehicle adoption is accelerating across both wealthy and developing countries, signalling a major shift toward cleaner transport worldwide.

“With the widescale adoption of EVs, it’s looking a little bit easier,” said William Lamb, scientist at the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research.

Nearly all new cars sold in Norway are electric; Denmark has reached about 68% EV sales; and 39 countries now have electric market shares above 10%, up from just 4 in 2019. Affordable models, particularly from rapidly innovating manufacturers, are driving growth from South America to Southeast Asia, while falling costs and expanding infrastructure are helping countries avoid locking in new petrol vehicles and accelerating global decarbonisation of transport.