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Electric Vehicles
Global electric car sales continue to break records as affordability improves
Despite recent economic headwinds that have put pressure on the auto sector, global sales of electric cars have continued to break records as electric models become increasingly affordable. Electric car sales exceeded 17 million globally in 2024, reaching a sales share of more than 20%. Just the additional 3.5 million electric cars sold in 2024 compared with the previous year is more than the total number of electric cars sold worldwide in 2020.
In 2025, sales of electric cars are expected to surpass 20 million, accounting for over…
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Road
More stringent and broader coverage of fuel efficiency standards for light-duty vehicles is needed
For cars and vans, increasing fuel efficiency standards is important as even in the Net Zero Emissions by 2050 Scenario, nearly 80% of cars and vans on the road in 2030 are still powered with internal combustion engines. Sales of heavier, less efficient SUVs reached around 46% of global sales in 2022, while electric vehicles were just 14% of sales. More and more countries are formulating vehicle efficiency standards and some are even putting in place zero-emission vehicle sales requirements. To be in line…
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Autonomous vehicles
…particularly for automated driving and integrated vehicle control. Sensors and chips integrate well with the stable, high-voltage power supply of EV batteries. Electric vehicles lead in automation and advanced driver assistance Driving automation is at the forefront of software developments for cars today. While fully autonomous cars (Level 5 automation)) are not currently in sight, electric driverless taxis (Level 4) are already operating commercially in more than 20 cities worldwide. Moreover, automated driving systems are not limited to self-driving cars – they are also rapidly gaining importance in the form of ADAS for private vehicles.EVs are more frequently equipped…
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Global EV Outlook 2025
…EV Outlook is an annual publication that reports on recent developments in electric mobility around the world. It is developed with the support of members of the Electric Vehicles Initiative (EVI).The report draws on the latest data to assess trends in electric vehicle deployment, demand for their batteries and charging infrastructure. It considers recent policy developments and industry strategies shaping the outlook for electric vehicles in different markets. This edition features analysis of electric vehicle affordability, manufacturing and trade of electric cars and their batteries, and the total cost of ownership of electric heavy-duty trucks across various markets…
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What Next for the Global Car Industry
…innovation around the internal combustion engine (ICE), as well as highly integrated and optimised supply chains that allow for vehicles and their components to be produced at low cost.Over the past 15 years, however, this business model has increasingly been challenged by the growing adoption of electric cars. In 2024, more than one in five cars sold globally was electric. These changes are increasingly posing challenges for incumbent car manufacturers, who are forced navigate a vehicle technology transition that is moving at different speeds in different markets.At the same time, growth in car sales has shifted to emerging…
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Vehicle software and software-defined vehicles
…determines an increasing share of vehicle functionality. This shift is not based on software alone, but also on a re-imagining of the electronic and electrical architecture of vehicles over the past decade, pioneered by pure-play EV makers. In conventional distributed architectures, each function – such as lighting, braking or climate control – is managed by its own dedicated controller, or electronic control unit (ECU). This is now giving way to domain or “zonal” architectures, with a smaller number of ECUs controlled by central computers. This shift reduces wiring complexity and enables a greater share of vehicle functionality to be defined…
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Overview graphic: key technology trends for EVs
…8 Electric vehicles (EVs) are increasingly at the centre of innovation in the automotive sector, bringing advances that extend far beyond developments in batteries and power electronics, thanks to several mutually reinforcing factors. Key technology trends are aligning in favour of EVs Battery electric vehicles (BEVs) are mechanically simpler than internal combustion engine vehicles (ICEVs) or hybrids, making them more compatible with digitalisation and automation. The relative simplicity of electric drivetrains enables shorter development cycles for new vehicles, allowing emerging technologies to reach BEVs sooner than vehicles with other powertrains.While the transition from mechanical to software-based vehicle control…
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Sustainable Transport Policy for Armenia: A Roadmap
…energy security. While Armenia has made notable progress in rolling out electric vehicles and electrifying its rail network, it still struggles with a high dependence on imported fossil fuels, a lack of data transparency and weak co-ordination among government agencies. This roadmap is structured to meet both short-term (2025-2030) and long-term (2030-2040) objectives and is organised around five key pillars: 1) enhancing governance and data quality to support informed decision-making and strengthening intergovernmental collaboration; 2) mitigating the environmental and public health impacts of combustion engine vehicles through tighter emissions standards and accelerated fleet modernisation;…
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Sustainable Transport for Georgia: A Roadmap
…deaths).Since national and municipal policies shape transport technology, infrastructure and operations, the report first examines the country as a whole, followed by Georgia’s largest cities. With road vehicles responsible for more than 98% of domestic transport energy use and carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions, the focus is on road transport.Opportunities identified include improving vehicle efficiency – particularly by accelerating electric vehicle (EV) adoption – and cutting reliance on inefficient vehicles by reducing unnecessary car travel and shifting to buses, metro, walking and cycling, as well as intercity passenger and freight rail. These opportunities are presented as a coordinated and sequenced…
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Global EV Outlook 2026
The Global EV Outlook is an annual publication that identifies and assesses recent developments in electric mobility across the globe.Combining analysis of historical data with projections, the report examines key areas of interest, such as the deployment of electric vehicles and charging infrastructure, battery demand, and key policy developments in major and emerging markets. It also considers the implications of growing EV adoption for electricity and oil consumption, as well as greenhouse gas emissions.Amid the ongoing energy crisis sparked by the conflict in the Middle East, this edition includes early monthly data for 2026 and considers potential implications…
