Skip to main content

Massive growth expected for electric vehicle sales

A massive growth in sales is expected for electric vehicles and hybrid vehicles in coming years, according to a forecast from specialist IDTechEx. According to the report, the total global gross value market for hybrid and pure electric vehicles will reach US$334 billion by 2020. At present the total global gross value market for hybrid and pure electric vehicles is worth some $69 billion. The report suggests that the market for these vehicles will primarily consist of large or very heavy duty vehicles, nei
December 12, 2013 Read time: 2 mins
A massive growth in sales is expected for electric vehicles and hybrid vehicles in coming years, according to a forecast from specialist IDTechEx. According to the report, the total global gross value market for hybrid and pure electric vehicles will reach US$334 billion by 2020. At present the total global gross value market for hybrid and pure electric vehicles is worth some $69 billion. The report suggests that the market for these vehicles will primarily consist of large or very heavy duty vehicles, neither of which is primarily bought on up-front price.

At the moment, the top 10 manufacturers of hybrid and pure electric vehicles include little known names such as Kion Industries and Jungheinrich due to their pure electric and hybrid forklifts. 2728 Toyota has EV sales that dwarf those of its next nine competitors put together because it is number one in electric forklifts and hybrid cars and near the top with its electric buses. It cross fertilises the technologies in these sectors and continues to widen its portfolio, a variant on an electric motorbike being the latest example.

IDTechEx added that firms with a growing market share in this segment will include Yutong in the Chinese e-bus market, as China will buy over 80% of the world's electric buses. The report Electric Vehicle Forecasts, Trends and Opportunities 2014-2024 (www.idtechex.com/ev) provides information essential for those seeking to dominate niches or volume sales of electric vehicles by making either the vehicles themselves or their components.

The technology is changing and recent developments may see supercapacitors being used instead of batteries, silicon carbide and gallium nitride power components instead of silicon items and multiple energy harvesting. Pure electric buses are becoming more popular than hybrids and pure electric cars will take off in sales as range improves up to five fold.

Meanwhile, a new sector is growing rapidly - the car-like vehicles that are not homologated as cars so they are simpler and much lower in cost. These are the MicroEVs homologated as quadricycles in Europe, and aimed at massive markets such as electrifying the 3.2 million highly polluting three-wheeled taxis in the Philippines.

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • Are EVs too quiet to be safe?
    June 12, 2019
    Concern is being expressed in the UK over the safety of low noise, electric vehicles. Children and those with poor sight are particularly at risk from electric vehicles, which are much quieter in operation than conventional vehicles powered by internal combustion engines.
  • Euro Auctions achieve new internet sales record
    March 2, 2012
    Euro Auctions set a new internet sales record for the company after online buyers spent more than US$10.9million (£7million) on used plant equipment during a recent auction in northern England.
  • Volvo CE’s electric prototype excavator
    May 17, 2017
    Volvo CE has developed an all-electric mini excavator, which it is now demonstrating in prototype form. The machine is powered by the latest generation Li-Ion battery technology and is said to be highly efficient. Volvo CE points out that the machine is a prototype intended to test the concept and that its configuration will be likely to change during development. The 3.5tonne machine also does without conventional hydraulic circuits, marking it apart from currently available electric excavators. Lars Stenq
  • Cummins to offer electrified powertrain solutions
    April 24, 2018
    Cummins has revealed its first electrified off-highway powertrain concept, which can be used to create a range-extended electrified vehicle (REEV). It follows Cummins’ recent acquisitions of Brammo and Johnson Matthey Battery Systems. “Cummins will be investing $300million over the next three years to continue organic and inorganic growth to develop a portfolio of alternative power units for the off-highway market including full electric vehicles, range-extended vehicles and plug-in hybrids,” said Julie Fur