Electric car sales, including fully electric and plug-in hybrids, doubled in 2021 to a new record of 6.6 million, according to the International Energy Agency's Global Electric Vehicle Outlook on Monday.
China accounted for about half of the total electric car sales worldwide with 3.3 million, while sales in Europe increased by 65% to 2.3 million last year.
The number of electric cars on the road totaled 16.5 million by the end of 2021.
The large increase is attributed to sustained policy support "in many markets, with overall public spending on subsidies and incentives doubling in 2021 to nearly $30 billion," the IEA said.
In line with environmental policies, a growing number of countries have ambitious vehicle electrification targets for the coming decades, and many carmakers have plans to electrify their fleets that go beyond policy targets.
Despite the increase in electric cars, "in the short term, the greatest obstacles to continued strong EV sales are soaring prices for some critical minerals essential for battery manufacturing, as well as supply chain disruptions caused by Russia’s attack on Ukraine and by continued Covid-19 lockdowns in some parts of China," the IEA said.
The agency also warned that greater efforts are needed to anticipate supply chain bottlenecks and boost critical mineral production to support electric car sales growth for the coming years.
In the longer term, greater efforts are needed to roll out enough charging infrastructure to service the expected growth in electric car sales, the report concluded.
By Zeynep Beyza Kilic
Anadolu Agency
energy@aa.com.tr