In what year will global sales of EVs exceed those of vehicles with internal combustion engines?
For the purposes of this market, hybrids don’t count towards either category.
Background:
@Hyperstition Good question! I’m inclined to exclude plug-in hybrids, but I could be persuaded if there’s an argument based on how the industry maintains statistics, or is likely to evolve, in the interest of keeping this market as clear and fair as possible. Thoughts?
@BlueDragon Full disclosure, I already bet.
I think it's fair to say that PHEVs are EVs, because they include a fully functional battery-electric powertrain and can (depending on use) be operated with fully zero tailpipe emissions. This distinguishes them from conventional hybrids (sometimes called 'mild hybrids'), which always emit tailpipe pollution and can't run on an empty tank.
@BlueDragon It seems that PHEVs could be considered both EV and internal combustion. PHEVs are mostly counted as their own category in global statistics. However, the PHEV market share is expected to decline in the coming years, while BEVs increase exponentially. If this is true, choosing whether to include PHEVs probably won’t be impactful.
Thanks to both of you for your thoughtful responses. It’s an important question, since PHEVs could, under some scenarios, push the date sooner. Given that:
PHEVs are typically counted separately
I wasn’t considering PHEVs when I wrote the question
I think it’s reasonable to not count PHEVs on either side for the purpose of this market.