Plug-in electric vehicle sales worldwide by brand 2021

Tesla was the best-selling electric vehicle brand in 2020. That yesr, Tesla sold just under 936,200 plug-in electric vehicles globally. BYD and the SAIC/GM/Wuling joint venture overtook Volkswagen in sales that year. Second-in-the-ranking BYD is the leading manufacturer of electric vehicles in China, based on sales.

European brands charge ahead in electric car sales

With Europe-based brands Volkswagen, BMW, Mercedes, Renault, and Audi all impressively ranked in the plug-in electric vehicle (PEV) market, there is no doubt that Europe's incumbent automakers are ready to zoom past rivals when it comes to electric mobility. Volatility in the market has, however, come to light in 2020 following the coronavirus outbreak, as international auto sales contracted by around 15 percent and plummeted to around 64 million units.

Fueling a green future

With climate change still a hot topic of conversation across the globe, the adoption of fuel-cell electric vehicles (FCEV), which emit only water vapor into the environment, as well as hybrids, plug-in hybrids, and battery electric vehicles is becoming ever more enticing. Green transportation-related patent applications worldwide represented close to a quarter of all green patents filed in 2020.