The Nissan-Renault alliance is apparently expecting China to be the top electric vehicle market in the world by 2020, going by a recent blog posting on the alliance’s website.
Given electric vehicle (EV) market growth numbers in China for 2014 (and preliminary figures for 2015), the prediction is likely a safe one. As of 2014, China held a roughly 25% global market share for EVs, with roughly 75,000 EV sales recorded that year. And preliminary figures for 2015 suggest that strong growth has been continuing since 2014 — with a year-on-year doubling of EV sales being reported for Quarter 1 2015. [Update: BYD claims that electric car sales tripled in 2015 in China. Reportedly, ~190,000 electric cars were sold in China in 2015.]
Here’s something from the recent Renault-Nissan Alliance website blog post, which provides a bit more information:
China is poised to become the top electric vehicle market in the world by 2020. Government incentives and hassle free registration processes have encouraged many drivers to make the switch to EVs. In 2014, China registered 75,000 EV sales, giving it a global market share of 25%. In the first quarter of 2015, it registered nearly double that number. The future of mobility in China is looking greener and greener. Watch the video below for more.
The situation isn’t that surprising, as China has been openly implementing relatively aggressive EV support policies in recent years — mostly, it seems, as a means of attempting to cut down on the country’s ubiquitous (and deadly) urban air pollution. Considering that the country’s air pollution problems are continuing to grow every year (despite EV and renewables support policies), one would presume, though, that more drastic measures will be needed for the problem to be truly addressed.
2020?
How about NOW?
The recent numbers seem to suggest the inevitable has already come to pass.