Global electric car shipments to reach 6 million in 2022, report says

EV shipments are projected to expand 34.4 % to 6.3 million units in 2022, compared with the previous year.

Electric cars sit charging in a parking garage at the University of California, Irvine.

The global electric vehicle (EV) shipments are expected to grow this year, with electric cars representing most of it, as governments across the world introduce new regulations and incentives to fuel EV sales, according to a report by research and advisory firm Gartner.

(Sign up to our Technology newsletter, Today's Cache, for insights on emerging themes at the intersection of technology, business and policy. Click here to subscribe for free.)

Worldwide EV shipments are projected to expand 34.4 % to 6.3 million units in 2022, compared with the previous year. Over 6 million electric cars, including battery-electric and plug-in hybrid, are expected to be shipped this year, up 34.6% from 4.5 million in 2021.

Although the ongoing shortage of chips will impact the production of EVs in 2022, Jonathan Davenport, Research Director at Gartner said.

Greater China, Western Europe and North America are considered to be the top three regions, with EV shipments touching nearly 3 million, 2 million and 1 million units respectively this year, as per the report.

In the world’s second-largest economy, EV shipments will be driven by a mandate on automakers requiring that EVs make up 40% of all sales by 2030, as well as new factories established by them for manufacturing electric cars.

Besides, the automotive industry is increasing investment in firms that provide charging infrastructure and vehicle battery technology to support and bolster the transition to EVs, the report noted. This is expected to push the number of global public EV chargers to 2.1 million units this year, up from 1.6 million units in 2021.

“At COP26 in November 2021, the Zero Emission Vehicle Transition Council agreed that vehicle manufacturers will commit to selling only zero-emission vehicles by 2040, and earlier in leading markets, putting pressure on the automotive sector to prepare for the decarbonisation in transportation,” Davenport noted.