"Over 1 million electric cars were sold in 2017 – a new record – with more than half of global sales in China. The total number of electric cars on the road surpassed 3 million worldwide, an expansion of over 50% from 2016," the report read.
China remains the largest electric car market in the world, with nearly 1.23 million electric cars on the country’s roads. The world leader is followed by Europe and the United States, with about 820,000 and 760,000 cars respectively.
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The rise in electric vehicles’ sales has largely been driven by relevant government policies, cars' enhanced performance and falling costs of lithium-ion batteries, the report said.
According to the IEA’s New Policies Scenario, the number of electric cars is expected to amount to 125 million by 2030, however, the agency noted that the number could reach 220 million, if the trend aspires to meet climate and other sustainability goals.