Approximately 756,000 plug-in electric vehicles (PEVs) were sold in the world in 2016, with 95% of those sales in China, Europe, the U.S., Japan and Canada, according to data from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE). Notably, China alone accounted for 42% of global sales (316,800 units).
As reported, China’s PEV sales grew by 53% from 2015 to 2016 to a high of nearly 317,000 vehicles, most of which were all-electric vehicles (77%).
All of the European countries combined had 11% PEV sales growth from 2015 to 2016, with an EV share of 44%.
The U.S. PEV market grew by 40% during the same time frame, with over half (54%) of sales being EV in 2016. Japan’s PEV market grew by 7%, with a 63% share of EV in 2016.
Separately, plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV) sales in China reached 72,400 units in 2016. By contrast, PHEV sales in the U.S. in 2016 were 72,900 units, slightly outpacing China; yet, U.S. battery-electric vehicles sales were only 86,700.
