While US plug-in vehicle sales contracted slightly in 2015, in the global market they went wild, posting an increase of almost 80% over 2014. The latest to trumpet this fact is the US Department of Energy, which has released a breakdown of sales for the world’s main EV markets.

According to the DOE, 565,668 EVs and PHEVs changed hands in the world’s five top markets in 2015, compared to 315,519 in 2014 (other sources offer slightly different figures – InsideEVs estimates the global numbers at 550,297 and 320,713, an increase of 72%).

Although US plug-in light vehicle sales declined by 3% in 2015, sales in China more than tripled, to 214,283. China is now by far the world’s largest market for plug-in vehicles (and for vehicles in general). Western Europe was in second place with 184,500 vehicles sold, followed by the US (115,262), Japan (46,339) and Canada (5,284). Together, these five markets account for about 95% of global plug-in sales.

Sources: Energy.gov, InsideEVs
Photo by Charles Morris