The electric vehicle (EV) market continues its upward trend and greater adoption globally with approximately 2.2 million sold in 2019. With China in the lead followed by Europe, which is set to potentially surpass the former in 2020, the United States stayed steady in third place with 320,000 sales. To better understand its place in the market, a new briefing by the International Council on Clean Transportation (ICCT) breaks down various factors associated with U.S. adoption of EVs based on the 50 most populous cities, which accounted for 80 percent of U.S. sales.
While the environmental benefits may be enough for some consumers to make the switch, numerous factors play into that. High price tags, model availability, range charging, infrastructure needs and the roads themselves, among other perhaps more personal factors, have influenced some resistance to mass adoption. In many areas, promotional activities and government policies are helping to address those barriers.
