The 5 countries that love electric cars the most

Published by on 05.25.2020 - 3 min

When it comes to electric cars, some countries are clearly leading the way. Which country has the most battery-powered cars? How about the largest fleets of electric vehicles available through carsharing? Which is the most advanced when it comes to hybrids? Here are five countries where you can really make the most of driving electric.

The most electric cars

The country with the most electric cars per inhabitant: Norway


On the global scale, China is the country with the most electric cars, with nearly 1.8 million overall! But when we account for the country’s population, it is Norway that comes in first. Indeed, the land of the Vikings has 30.2 electric cars per 1000 inhabitants (numbers from 2018,) compared to just 1.26 per 1000 inhabitants in China. It’s important to note that the Norwegian government is working hard to convert its citizens to electric mobility! Battery-powered cars are exempt from the country’s (very high) import taxes and VAT. In addition, tolls and parking are free, and the country’s many ferry boats offer special offers for owners of electric vehicles, who can also use certain bus lanes. Lastly, Norway intends to prohibit the sale of fossil fuel vehicles by 2025.

The most hybrid vehicles

The country on the cutting edge of hybrid technology: Japan


The hybrid car, which combines a combustion-powered and an electric motor, was invented in Europe. But it is without a doubt Japan, a pioneer of hybrid technology industrialization, that has shown the most development in the sector, to such an extent that the country is now home to the largest fleet of hybrid vehicles in the world. In 2018, there were 7.5 million on the roads, which works out to almost one in five cars!

The most charging stations

The country with the most fast charging stations: South Korea


Everyone knows that charging infrastructure is key to the development of electric mobility. It is hardly surprising, then, that China already had 111,000 fast charging stations by 2018, a world record! Taking the industry giant’s immense network of roads into account, that works out to one charging station every 43.5 kilometers. But another much smaller Asian country has done even better: South Korea has 3910 charging stations for its 110,714 kilometers of roads, which works out to an average of one station every 28.3 kilometers! By comparison, in 2018, France had only one charging station every 691.6 kilometers! Luckily, the country is starting to catch up: today, France has one fast charging station every 378.5 kilometers.

The most carsharing vehicles

The country with the most electric vehicles available through carsharing services: China


China is a paradise for carsharing, with some 400 operators that have developed throughout the country thanks to generous government subsidies. Unsurprisingly, China is also the country with the largest electric carsharing service in the world. It is called EvCard, and it has a fleet of more than 30,000 vehicles in 65 different cities across the country! Pand-Auto, another Chinese giant in the industry, has some 20,000 cars. By comparison, the largest electric carsharing service in Europe, WeShare in Berlin, has a fleet of “only” 2000 vehicles!! Groupe Renault, for its part, has a fleet of 7500 vehicles available through different carsharing services around Europe.

The most potential

The country where electric cars have the most potential: France


According to a recent study conducted by OC&C in 2019, 77% of French people are considering switching to electric or hybrid technology for their next vehicle. Only 41% considered this when purchasing their current vehicles (and only 7% actually took the step.) This is the largest increase out of the five countries that took part in the study, including China, the United States, Great Britain, and Germany: proof that electric vehicles have a bright future ahead of them in France!

Copyrights : Jae Young Ju, primeimages, CHUNYIP WONG, Mlenny, danielvfung, Augustin Lazaroiu


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