DEVELOPING NATIONS
The world’s
electric vehicle
market is
growing rapidly,
but it’s not growing
equally. China, Europe and the
United States accounted for a
disproportionate 4.6 million of the 5.0
million vehicles registered globally at the
end of 2018, according to IEA data. But, as the
technology becomes more accessible, its most
natural habitats could be elsewhere.
“Electric vehicles are still at an early stage
everywhere in the world,” says Alex Koerner,
an o cer in the UN Environment Electric
Mobility program, which is supporting uptake
in low and middle-income markets. “There are
some super developed markets, such as Norway
where 30% of new vehicles are EVs, but the
76 // July 2019 // www.electrichybridvehicletechnology.com
“There’s a real opportunity for
exporting vehicle-to-grid technology
to emerging markets”
Alex Lewis-Jones, analyst, Delta Energy and Environment
driver is policy and tax
waivers. Most markets
are at a very early stage.”
Declining battery costs
will make EVs more aff ordable,
but redressing early imbalances
isn’t straightforward.
The world’s largest electric vehicle
markets are infl uenced by tightening
environmental standards, in turn supported
by costly government-backed initiatives which
tend to favor wealthier nations. Alex Lewis-
Jones, EV and electricity analyst at clean
energy consultancy Delta Energy and
Environment, says emerging markets
tend to have other priorities.
“Provision of energy, water, transport
and the services that come with them, is
not always guaranteed, so achieving reliable
1
1
1. Infrastructure
limitations in sub-
Saharan Africa poses
challenges for EVs
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