Electric car use by country

For the more general category of electric drive for all type of vehicles, see electric vehicle. For the specific electric drive cars, see electric car and plug-in electric vehicle.

The world's top selling low-speed neighborhood electric vehicle is the Global Electric Motorcars (GEM) vehicle, with more than 45,000 units sold worldwide since 1998 through December 2010.

The Nissan Leaf is the world's best selling highway-capable electric car, with more than 49,000 units sold since 2010 through December 2012.

This page describes the use of electric cars in different countries, and provides historical background, fleet size, existing government incentives, and deployment details by country. The page encompasses both low-speed neighborhood electric vehicle and highway capable all-electric cars. Some countries publish their statistics and have purchase incentives schemes in place for the more general category of plug-in electric cars, which includes plug-in hybrids. Hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs) are not included in this page because they can not be plugged and recharged from an off-vehicle electric energy source, and therefore, they do not belong to the category of plug-in electric cars.

Australia

Two Mitsubishi i MiEVs in Sydney, Australia.

In 2008 Australia started producing its first commercial all-electric vehicle. Originally called the Blade Runner, its name was changed to Electron, and is already being exported to New Zealand with one purchased by the Environment Minister Dr. Nick Smith. The Electron is based on the Hyundai Getz chassis and has proven popular with government car pools.

In October 2008, Better Place announced plans to deploy charging network to power electric cars in Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane in partnership with Australian power company AGL and finance group Macquarie Capital. The initial network deployment was planned to take place in Canberra in late 2011. As of December 2011, 12 public charge spots (power outlets, not battery swap stations) had been installed in Australia. The roll out of the Australian network was initially planned to begin 6 months to a year after the roll out of the network in Denmark. In December 2012, Renault announced that the launch of the Renault Fluence Z.E. was postponed indefinitely following delays with the roll out of Australia’s electric vehicle infrastructure. The electric car was scheduled to go on sale to the public from a number of dealers across the country in the fourth quarter of 2012. Better Place explained that delays in the deployments in Israel and Denmark are reflecting in the Australian roll out, which would take place between 12 to 18 months behind the other markets.

Beginning in mid 2009, twelve-month field trial was conducted with the Mitsubishi i-MiEV with potential electric vehicle customers, such as local, state and federal government bodies, and major fleet operators. Leasing for fleet customers began in Australia in August 2010. As of May 2011, a total of 110 i-MiEVs had been leased to government and corporate fleets. Retail sales to the public began in August 2011. Currently, there are no government incentive or rebate schemes for purchasing fuel-efficient vehicles in the country. As of December 2012, 125 i-MiEVs have been sold in the country, 30 of which were sold by December 2011.

A two-year fleet trial of 10 converted Ford Focus Electric cars commenced in Western Australia in 2010. In July 2011 Nissan Australia provided 16 Nissan Leafs for an electric vehicle trial in Victoria to be used by both personal and commercial users. The trial also includes 14 i-MiEVs and 3 Toyota Prius PHEVs. Sales of the Nissan Leaf in Australia began in June 2012. A total of 19 Leafs were registered in 2011 and 77 units were sold during 2012. The Holden Volt plug-in hybrid was released in the Australian market by late 2012, and 80 units were delivered during that year.

Belgium

Sales of electric cars in the country rose from 97 units in 2009, to 116 in 2010, 425 in 2011, to 1,038 electric-drive vehicles by early October 2012. Of the latter, only 350 units were sold to individual customers. The three top selling plug-electric cars sold in 2012 through September 2012 are the Opel Ampera with 155 units, the Peugeot iOn with 95, and the Renault Fluence Z.E. with 86 units. The Nissan Leaf sold 57 units during the first half of 2012, and the Chevrolet Volt 24 units during the same period.

The Belgian government established a personal income tax deduction of 30% of the purchase price including VAT of a new electric vehicle, up to €9,510. Plug-in hybrids are not eligible. This tax incentive will end on December 31, 2012. There is also available a tax deduction up to 40% for investments in external recharging stations publicly accessible, to a maximum of €250. The Wallonia regional government has an additional €4,500 eco-bonus for cars registered before December 31, 2011.

Brazil

As of February 2013, there are only 70 electric cars registered in the country, of which, 68 are corporate cars, including 9 Nissan Leafs that are being demonstrated as taxis in São Paulo. In May 2010 the government put on hold a new policy to promote the introduction of electric cars, and a decision is still pending. Instead, plug-in electric cars and hybrid electric vehicles are subject to high taxes, including a 35% import tax, plus a 55% tax on industralized products (IPI), 13% contribution to social security (PIS/COFINS), and between 12 to 18% tax on transit of goods and services (ICMS), depending on the state, adding up to more than 120%. The tax burden results in an average final price of R$ 200,000 (US$100,000) for an electric car, and up to R$120,000 (US$60,000) for a regular hybrid.

Canada

British Columbia is the only place in the country where it is legal to drive a Low-speed vehicle (LSV) electric car on public roads, although it also requires low speed warning marking and flashing lights. Quebec is allowing LSVs in a three-year pilot project. These cars will not be allowed on the highway, but will be allowed on city streets.

In January 2009, Hydro-Québec and Mitsubishi signed an agreement to test 50 i-MiEV, the largest pilot test of electric cars in Canada ever. The test's goal was to allow a better understanding of winter usage of the technology. BC-Hydro and Mitsubishi had previously tested a three-vehicle fleet in British Columbia. In October 2010, Transport Canada and Mitsubishi Motor Sales of Canada announced a partnership to test the Mitsubishi i-MiEV. Transport Canada’s ecoTECHNOLOGY for Vehicles (eTV) Program tested two i-MiEVs in government facilities and in a variety of real-world conditions. This program aim was to evaluate the i-MiEV road performance and range. Retail sales of the i-MiEV began in December 2011, and cumulative sales through September 2012 reached 188 units.

Nissan Leaf, Smart ED, and Mitsubishi i MiEVelectric cars in downtown Ontario.

The Nissan Leaf roll-out in Canada began with fleet customers on July 29, 2011, and deliveries to individuals began in late September 2011. The Leaf is sold only through 27 Leaf-certified dealers for the entire country, and sales are limited to customers who live within a 65 km (40 mi) radius of one of those dealers. Cumulative sales through September 2012 reached 366 units.

Government incentives

Purchase incentives for new plug-in electric vehicles (PEVs) were established in Ontario consiting of a rebate between CA$5,000 (4 kWh battery) to CA$8,500 (17 kWh or more) (~US$5,050 to US$8,650), depending on battery size, for purchasing or leasing a new PEV after July 1, 2010. The rebates will be available to the first 10,000 applicants who qualify. The province will also introduce green-coloured licence plates for exclusive use of plug-in hybrids and battery electric vehicles. These unique green vehicle plates will allow PEV owners to travel in the province's carpool lanes until 2015 regardless of the number of passengers in the vehicle. Also, owners are eligible to use recharging stations at GO Transit and other provincially-owned parking lots.

Quebec began offering rebates of up to CA$8,500 (US$8,650) beginning on January 1, 2012, for the purchase of new plug-in electric vehicles equipped with a minimum of 4 kWh battery, and new hybrid electric vehicles are eligible for aCA$1,000 rebate. All-electric vehicles with high-capacity battery packs will be eligible for the full C$8,000 rebate, and incentives are reduced for low-range electric cars and plug-in hybrids. Quebec's government earmarked CA$50 million(US$52.3 million) for the program, and the maximum rebate amount is slowly reduced every year until a maximum ofCA$3,000 in 2015, but the rebates will continue until the fund runs out. There is also a ceiling for the maximum number of eligible vehicles: 10,000 for all-electric vehicles and plug-in hybrids, and 5,000 for conventional hybrids.

The Government of British Columbia announced the LiveSmart BC program which will start offering rebates of up to CA$5,000 per eligible clean energy vehicle commencing on December 1, 2011. The incentives will be available until March 31, 2013 or until available funding is depleted, whichever comes first. Available funds are enough to provide incentives for approximately 1,370 vehicles. Battery electric vehicles, fuel cell vehicles and plug-in hybrids with battery capacity of 15.0 kWh and above are eligible for a CA$5,000 incentive. Also effective December 1, 2011, rebates of up to CA$500 per qualifying electric vehicle charging equipment will be available to B.C. residents who have purchased a clean energy vehicle.

China

The Chinese government adopted a plan with the goal of turning the country into one of the leaders of all-electric and hybrid vehicles by 2012. The government's intention is to create a world-leading industry that will produce jobs and exports, and to reduce urban pollution and its oil dependence. However, a study found that even though local air pollution would be reduced by replacing a gasoline car with a similar-size electric car, it would reduce greenhouse gas emissions by only 19%, as China uses coal for 75% of its electricity production. A 19% reduction is, however, a substantial reduction and all cars being electric would be a larger incentive not only for more investment in renewable electricity generation, but also make a home solar system more economical.

BYD e6 all-electric taxi in Shenzhen, China.

The Chinese government uses the term new energy vehicles (NEVs) to include plug-in electric vehicles together with hybrid electric vehicle, which are also subject to purchase incentives.

The government is providing subsidies for electric car research and also subsidies of up to $8,800 US for each hybrid or all-electric vehicle purchased by taxi fleets and local government agencies in 13 Chinese cities. Electricity utilities have been ordered to set up electric car charging stations in Beijing, Shanghai and Tianjin. China wants to raise its annual production capacity to 500,000 hybrid or all-electric cars and buses by the end of 2011, from 2,100 in 2008.

As intercity driving is rare in China, electric cars provide several practical advantages because commutes are fairly short and at low speeds due to traffic congestion. These particular local conditions make the range limitation of all-electric cars less of a problem, especially as the latest Chinese models have a top speed of 100 km/h (60 mph) and a range of 200 km (120 mi) between charges. As of May 2010, Chinese automakers have developed at least 10 models of high-speed, all-electric cars with plans for volume production.

As of March 2013, there are 27,800 electric vehicles in China, of which, around 80% are buses. A total of 5,579 electric vehicles were sold in China during 2011, including passenger and commercial vehicles, representing 0.03% of total new car sales that year. Sales in 2012 reached 12,791 units, which includes 11,375 all-electric vehicles and 1,416 plug-in hybrids, representing 0.07% of the country's total new car sales. Cumulative EV sales since January 2009 represent a market share of less than 0.01% of total new car sales in the country. The top selling all-electric car in China is the BYD e6, with 2,124 units sold through December 2012.

Costa Rica

The first electric car to go on sale in the country was the REVAi, introduced in March 2009. The REVAi, powered by lead–acid batteries, sold 10 units during its first month in the market, 5 by corporate clients and 5 by individual customers. The Mitsubishi i MiEV was launched in February 2011, with initial availability limited to 25 to 50 units. According to Mitsubishi, Costa Rica was selected at the first market launch in the Americas due to its environmental record, despite the lack of government incentives for pruchasing electric cars.

As of February 2012, a total of 61 electric cars have been registered in the country, with 31 purchased by individual customers, and 30 sold to embassies, universities, and corporate clients. Lack of charging infrastructure, there are no public charging stations in the country, and the need to introduce government incentives to reduce purchase taxes, are cited as the main causes for the low volume sales. A bill introduced in 2010 has not move forward in the Legislative Assembly. The bill seeks to reduce purchase taxes and also would allow electric cars to be exempted from the road space rationing implemented by plate number to restrict access to the capital city of San José. The only existing incentive is the elimination of the consumption tax for electric vehicles implemented in 2006, while conventional vehicles pay a 30% rate.

Nissan signed an agreement with the Costa Rican government in February 2012 to implement a pilot program as part of the introduction of the Nissan Leaf in the country. A task force was created through the agreement to assess the infrastructure requirements for the deployment of electric cars and the definition necessary government incentives for consumers to purchase electric cars. Nissan's goal is to begin retails sales by 2013.

Croatia

A small city car called XD assembled by Croatian company DOK-ING. The name XD comes from oddly shaped rear lights ("X" shaped) and "D" beginning letter of the company's name. The XD can travel over 250 km on a single charge with Lithium-ion batteries. Car's base-cost will be only 10.000€. Serial production is predicted to start mid-2012.

Denmark

Better Place partnered with Denmark's leading energy company; Dong Energy, in a €103 million Euro (770 million Danish Kroner) investment to introduce electric cars and infrastructure to Denmark. The country currently generates 20% of its electric power from wind energy, but much of it is exported because there is currently no way for utilities to store the excess power. With the Better Place model, Dong hopes to leverage the existing electric grid and electric vehicle batteries to harness and store the abundance of wind-generated power and distribute appropriately for transportation consumption. The network commercial launch was scheduled for late 2011.

The Renault Fluence Z.E. will be deployed for the Better Place network. Sales were scheduled to begin by late 2011. The first battery switch station in Denmark, out of 20 planned to be deployed across the country until March 2012 as part of the network of charging infrastructure, was unveiled in June 2011 at Gladsaxe, near Copenhagen.

Estonia

As of December 2012, a total of 619 all-electric cars have been registered in the country, and Estonia ranks second after Norway in terms of EV penetration of the total auto fleet with 1 electric car for every 1,000 registered cars. As of December 2012, a nationwide network of 165 fast chargers has been deployed, with an average separation on highways of 37 mi (60 km) with a higher density on urban areas. These public fast chargers are dual units, with a 50 kW CHAdeMO port and a 22 kW AC plug.

On March 3, 2011, the government of Estonia confirmed the sale to Mitsubishi Corporation of 10 million carbon dioxide credits in exchange for 507 i-MiEV electric cars. The deal also included funding to build 250 fast charging stations in larger towns and main highways by 2013, and will subsidize the first 500 private buyers of any electric car approved by the European Union. The first 50 i-MiEVs were delivered in October 2011 and this official fleet was assigned for use by municipal social workers. During the first round of allocations of the electric cars, municipalities requested only 336 of the 507 i-MiEVs available. Several local authorities have stated concerns about the electric car performance during harsh winter conditions, maintenance costs and the i-MiEV' reliability on difficult countryside roads.

Finland

There is a lot of knowledge about electric cars in Finland, with companies such as Valmet Automotive (Fisker Karma and Garia A/S electric golf cart production) and also agreement of Think City car production), Fortum (concept cars and infrastructure), Kabus (hybrid buses; part of Koiviston Auto Oy), BRP Finland (part of Bombardier Recreational Products), Lynx (snowmobile), Patria (military vehicles), European Batteries (Li-ion battery plant in Varkaus), Finnish Electric Vehicles (battery control systems), ABB, Efore, Vacon (electric motor technology production), Ensto (production of charging units), Elcat (electric vehicle production since the 1980s), production of electric car accessories, Suomen Sähköauto Oy (produces small electric cars), Oy AMC Motors Ltd. (produces and designs small electric cars), Raceabout [6] (specialist electric sport car with very few sales), Gemoto skooters from Cabotec, Resonate's Gemini and Janus Scooters, Moto Bella Oy, Axcomotors, Randax, Visedo.

Research related to electric cars is in progress at the VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland and Tekes.

Electric Motor Show

Sharing knowledge is also in progress: in Helsinki the Electric Motor Show was held from 10 to 12 September 2010. The show will feature only cars, motorcycles, scooters, mopeds and microcars and components for them. Year 2010 is second year for Helsinki Electric motor show.The plan is to hold the show annually.

Infrastructure

Basic charging infrastructure is already available all over Finland, used for engine pre-warming in the cold winters. Because of its climate – cold winters and warm summers – Finland is considered a convenient "test laboratory" for electric cars and many companies have made field tests in Finland. It has been said in Autobild 08/09 magazine that Fortum is developing the high-speed charging system. With a new kind of three-phase charging method electric cars can be charged in four minutes. A commercial product should be ready by 2011.

There are also mines and metal refineries for lithium alloy in Finland. At the moment there are several mining projects under way such as the Keliber project.

Support organizations

There are several electric car organisations in Finland, such as the Electric Vehicle Association of Finland and Electric Vehicles Finland.

Electric Cars - Now!

There is also a non-commercial electric car conversion organisation called Electric Cars - Now! that converts standard Toyota Corollas into Li-ion battery-powered electric cars. As of August 2009, more than 1,700 pre-orders for conversion Toyotas have been placed. The speciality in the Electric Cars - Now! project is that it is an open source project: anyone can start similar production anywhere they want, the benefits for the customer being open-source spare part coding and so on. The ideas and design are freely available from the Electric Cars - Now! organisation.

France

The Bolloré Bluecar, deployed for the Parisian Autolib' carsharing program, led highway-capable electric car registrations in France in 2012.

The Renault Kangoo Z.E. was the best selling electric vehicle in France in 2012.

The Renault Twizy heavy quadricycle was France's second best selling plug-in electric vehicle in 2012.

Since January 2010, more than 14,600 highway-capable all-electric vehicles have been registered in France through December 2012. Of these, 8,477 are electric cars and 6,129 are electric utility vans. Electric car sales increased from 184 cars in 2010, through 2,630 units 2011, to 5,663 units in 2012. Sales of all-electric cars in 2012 increased 115% from 2011, and captured a market share of 0.3% of new car sales in the country. In addition, 3,651 electric utility vans were registered in 2012, up from 1,683 in 2011, and 980 in 2010; increasing the total of highway-capable electric vehicles registered during 2012 to 9,314 units, and making France the leading European EV market in 2012. Also, a total of 666 plug-in hybrid electric vehicles were registered during 2012, with sales led by the Toyota Prius PHV, with 413 registrations, and the Opel Ampera with 190.

Electric car sales in the French market for 2011 were led by the Citroën C-Zero with 645 units followed by the Peugeot iOns with 639 vehicles, and the Bolloré Bluecar with 399 electric cars. During 2012, all-electric car registrations in France were led by the Bluecar with 1,543 units, the C-Zero with 1,409, and the iOn with 1,335, together representing 76% of all electric car sales that year. Cumulative sales since 2010 are led by the Peugeot iOn, with 2,078 units, followed by the Citroën C-Zero with 2,007, and the Bolloré Bluecar, with 1,942 units, of which, 1,750 are allocated for the Autolib' car sharing service. The Renault Kangoo Z.E. is the top selling utility electric vehicle with 2,869 units registered in 2012, representing a market share of 82% of the segment. A total of 3,652 Kangoo ZEs have been registered in France through December 2012. The Renault Twizy electric quadricycle, launched in March 2012, sold 2,232 units during 2012, surpassing the Bolloré Bluecar, the top selling highway-capable electric car, and ranking as the second best selling plug-in electric vehicle after the Kangoo Z.E.

The following table presents registrations of highway-capable electric vehicle by type and electric car registrations by model between 2010 and 2012.

Registration of highway-capable electric cars by model and total registrations by vehicle type in France between 2010 and 2012
Model	Total Sales 2010-2012	Market share(1)	Sales 2012	Sales 2011	Sales 2010
Peugeot iOn	2,078	24.5%	1,409	639	30
Citroën C-Zero	2,007	23.7%	1,335	645	27
Bolloré Bluecar	1,942	22.9%	1,543	399
Renault Fluence Z.E.	704	8.3%	295	396	13
Mia electric	633	7.5%	384	249
Nissan Leaf	607	7.2%	524	83
Smart electric drive	152	1.8%	66	52	34
Th!nk City	121	1.4%		110	11
Mitsubishi i MiEV	74	0.9%	24	42	8
Mini E	50	0.6%			50
Renault Zoe	48	0.6%	48
Tesla Roadster	30	0.4%	10	9	11
Volkswagen Golf blue-e-motion	15	0.2%	15
BMW ActiveE	10	0.1%	10
Volvo C30 Electric	6	0.1%		6
Total registrations electric cars	8,477	58.0%	5,663	2,630	184
Total registrations utility vans	6,129	42.0%	3,651	1,682	796
Total registrations highway-capable EVs	14,606	100%	9,314	4,312	980
Note: (1) By model, is the market share as percentage of the 8,477 electric cars registered between 2010 and 2012, and by type, the share of each type of vehicle as percentage of the 14,606 electric vehicles registered between 2010 and 2012.

Government incentives

Until July 31, 2012, and under a Bonus-Malus system, a bonus was granted in France up to €5,000 for the purchase of new cars with CO₂ emissions of 60 gr/km or less that benefited all-electric cars and any plug-in hybrid with such low emissions. Vehicles emitting up to 125 gr/km or less, such as hybrids and natural gas vehicles, were granted up to €2,000. The incentive could not exceed 20% of the sales price including VAT, with the cost of the battery added if it is rented.

Effective on August 1, 2012, the government increased the bonus for electric cars up to €7,000 but capped at 30% of the vehicle price including VAT. The price includes any battery leasing charges, and therefore, electric cars which need a battery leasing contract also are eligible for the bonus. An electric car sold for €23 333 including VAT is eligible for the maximum bonus of 7000 euros. The emission level for the maximum bonus was raised to 20 gr/km or less. Cars with emission levels between 20 to 50 gr/km are eligible to a bonus of up to €5,000.

Germany

The Opel Ampera extended-range electric car was the top selling electric-drive car in Germany in 2012.

A total of 7,497 electric cars have sold in Germany since January 2010 through September 2012. During 2011, a total of 2,154 electric cars were registered in the country, and sales for 2011 were led by the Mitsubishi i-MiEV family with 683 i-MiEVs, 208 Peugeot iOns and 200 Citroën C-Zeros, representing 50.6% of all electric car sales in 2011.

A total of 2,956 electric-drive cars were registered in Germany during 2012, a 37.2% increase over 2011 sales. Plug-in electric car sales represented a 0.10% market share of the 3,082,504 new passenger vehicles sold in the country in 2012, and most sales in the country were made by corporate and fleet customers. Sales were led by the Opel Ampera extended-range electric car with 828 units, followed by the Citroën C-Zero with 454 units, and the Nissan Leaf with 451 units. In addition, a total of 2,413 Renault Twizys were sold during 2012, making Germany the top selling European market for the electric quadricycle. Electric vehicles and plug-ins in Germany are exempt from the annual circulation tax for a period of five years from the date of their first registration. In May 2010 the German government announced that it will not provide subsidies to the sales of electric cars but instead it will only fund research in the area of electric mobility.

The following table presents registrations of highway-capable electric cars by year between 2010 and 2012.

Registration of highway-capable electric cars by model Germany between 2010 and 2012
Model	Total Sales 2010-2012	Market share(1)	Sales 2012	Sales 2011	Sales 2010
Opel Ampera	1,069	14.3%	828	241
Mitsubishi i MiEV	765	10.2%	71	683	11
Citroën C-Zero	657	8.8%	454	200	3
Peugeot iOn	472	6.3%	263	208	1
Nissan Leaf	451	6.0%	451
Smart electric drive	434	5.8%	n.a.	328	106
Renault Fluence Z.E.	308	4.1%	308
Tesla Roadster	123	1.6%	n.a.	100	23
Chevrolet Volt	48	0.6%	23	25
Total registrations	7,497	100%	2,956	2,315	n.a.
Notes: (1) Market share as percentage of the 7,497 electric cars registered in Germany through December 2012.

Iceland

2012 - New beginning; A group in Iceland is planning to convert all vehicles in the country to electric by 2012, the first to do so.

Israel

Prototype modified Renault Laguna EVs charging at the Better Place visitor center in Ramat Hasharon, Israel, north of Tel Aviv.

Israel is the first nation in the world that partnered with Better Place to have an electric car infrastructure.Shai Agassi, former CEO of Better Place claimed that in Israel by 2016, plus or minus a year, more than 50% of cars sold will be electric. Better place reached agreements with Renault-Nissan and the government to begin the first phases of the company’s efforts to deploy the world’s first integrated electric car network. Better Place network is deploying in Israel Renault's first passenger electric vehicle, the Fluence Z.E. five-seat sedan. The battery for the Fluence Z.E. can be re-charged by means of a standard charge in four to eight hours or switched for a charged battery in under five minutes.

Israel was considered a viable site for this ground breaking endeavour due to the country’s relatively small size and the fact that approximately 90% of the nation’s car owners drive less than 40 mi (60 km) a day. Israel has enacted policies that create a tax differential between zero-emission vehicles and traditional cars, to accelerate the transition to electric cars.

Agassi designed an infrastructure consisting of 500,000 charging stations and almost 200 battery-exchange stations. In December 2008, Better Place revealed its first plug-in parking lot in Tel Aviv. Additionally, in May 2009, the company unveiled its patented battery swap system, which is designed for drivers taking longer road trips who lack the time needed to recharge their own battery.

The first deliveries of the Renault Fluence Z.E. took place in Israel in January 2012.

According to the Financial Times around 400 corporations in Israel have signed letters of intent to begin switching their fleets to Better Place electric car network as soon as the service becomes available. This represents a potential of 80,000 electric cars. Also out of the 100,000 Renault Fluence Z.E. that Better Place has agreed to buy from Renault, Agassi said the company has already signed up around 70,000 orders, most of them from commercial fleet customers.

Better Place launched its first battery-swapping station in Israel, in Kiryat Ekron, near Rehovot in March 2011. The station is the first of approximately 40 stations to begin operating in the near term. The battery exchange process takes five minutes. The company has also erected over 1,000 functional charging spots for the cars and thousands more will be put in place by the end of 2011, according to the CEO of Better Place Israel. Orders for the Renault Fluence ZE in Israel began in July 2011.

The first deliveries of the Renault Fluence Z.E. took place on the 22nd of January 2012 and around 100 electric cars were allocated among the company's employees. Better Place planned a staged delivery process that will progress as the infrastructure across the country is completed. Retail customer deliveries began in the second quarter of 2012 Sales through July 2012 have been only 300 cars. In October 2012, Better Place signed a deal with Elco to supply 125 Renault Fluence ZEs through 2012 and 2013. Better Place charging stations in Israel have smart grid interactivity that automatically time shifts the charging process away from peak electrical demand hours. This protects the heavily used Israeli electric grid that is already stressed by threats external to Israel to interrupt fuel deliveries. Electric cars aren't allowed by law to directly plug into ordinary Israeli electrical outlets.

Ireland

In November 2008, the Department of Transport announced the Electric Transport Plan which calls for 10% of all vehicles to be electric by 2020. Government officials reached agreements with French car maker Renault and its Japanese partner Nissan to boost the use of electric cars. Eamon Ryan Ireland's Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources has repeatedly emphasised the importance of the electric car within the Irish context. The Electricity Supply Board has actively supported this call and sees electric vehicles as a key part of its strategy with regard to wind power in the Republic of Ireland. Sustainable Energy Ireland (SEI) is currently looking at a number of pilot projects. More information on incentives is expected to come to light in the 2010 Irish Budget

Japan

Mitsubishi i-MiEV recharging from an on-street charging station in Japan.

Mitsubishi Minicab MiEV in Japan.

As of December 2012, more than 28,000 all-electric cars have been sold in Japan since July 2009, representing a market share of 0.16% of total new car sales in the country. The figure rises to more than 41,000 plug-in electric vehicles when plug-in hybrids and electric utility vans are also accounted for. The first electric car available in the Japanese market was the Mitsubishi i MiEV, launched for fleet customers in Japan in late July 2009, after Mitsubishi's more than 40 years in development of electric vehicles. Retail sales to the public began in April 2010. Cumulative sales since November 2009 reached 7,233 i-MiEVs through December 2012. Sales of the Mitsubishi Minicab MiEV electric van began in December 2011, and a total of 3,234 units have been sold through December 2012.

Sales of the Nissan Leaf began on December 22, 2010, when the first 10 Leaf were delivered at the Kanagawa Prefecture. The Prefecture Government decided to assign six Leafs for official use and the other four were made available for the car rental service run by the local government. Since December 2010 Nissan has sold about 21,000 Leafs in Japan through December 2012. Sales of the Toyota Prius Plug-in Hybrid, the only PHEV available in the country, began in January 2012, and a total of 9,500 units have been sold through October 2012.

The first prototype battery switch station from Better Place was demonstrated in Yokohama on May 14, 2009. On April 2010, a 90-day switchable-battery electric taxi demonstration project was launched in Tokyo, using three Nissan Rogue crossover utility vehicles, converted into electric cars with switchable batteries provided by A123 Systems. The battery switch station deployed in Tokyo is more advanced than the Yokohama switch system demonstrated in 2009. During the three-month field test the EV taxis accumulated over 25,000 miles (40,000 km) and swapped batteries 2,122 times, with an average battery swap time of 59.1 seconds. Nissan decided to continue the trial until late November 2010. As of early 2010, there were 60 public charging stations in Japan.

Government incentives

See also: Government incentives for plug-in electric vehicles in Japan

The Japanese government introduced the first electric vehicle incentive program in 1996, and it was integrated in 1998 with the Clean Energy Vehicles Introduction Project, which provided subsidies and tax discounts for the purchase of electric, natural gas, methanol and hybrid electric vehicles. The project provided a purchase subsidy of up to 50% the incremental costs of a clean energy vehicle as compared with the price of a conventional engine vehicle. This program was extended until 2003.

Nissan Leaf taxi at the Kumamoto Prefecture.

In May 2009 the Japanese Diet passed the "Green Vehicle Purchasing Promotion Measure" that went into effect on June 19, 2009, but retroactive to April 10, 2009. The program established tax deductions and exemptions for environmentally friendly and fuel efficient vehicles, according to a set of stipulated environmental performance criteria, and the requirements are applied equally to both foreign and domestically produced vehicles. The program provided purchasing subsidies for two type of cases, consumers purchasing a new passenger car without trade-in (non-replacement program), and for those consumers buying a new car trading an used car registered 13 years ago or earlier (scrappage program).

Subsidies for purchases of new environmentally friendly vehicles without scrapping a used car are 100,000 yen (~US$1,100) for the purchase of a standard or small car, and 50,000 yen (~US$550) for the purchase of a mini or kei vehicle. Subsidies for purchasing trucks and buses meeting the stipulated fuel efficiency and emission criteria vary between 200,000 yen (~US$2,100) to 900,000 yen (~US$9,600).

Subsidies for purchases of new environmentally friendly vehicles in the case of owners scrapping a 13 year or older vehicle are 250,000 yen (~US$2,700) for the purchase of a standard or small car, and 125,000 yen (~US$1,300) for the purchase of a mini or kei vehicle. Subsidies for purchasing trucks and buses meeting the stipulated fuel efficiency and emission criteria vary between 400,000 yen (~US$4,300) to 1,800,000 yen (~US$19,000).

All incentives for new purchases with or without trading were applicable in Japan's fiscal year 2009, from April 1, 2009 through March 31, 2010.

Netherlands

There are no direct purchase subsidies for electric vehicles in the Netherlands, but other type of incentives include total exemption of the registration fee and road taxes, which result in savings of approximately €5,324 for private car owners over four years, and €19,000 for corporate owners over five years. Other vehicles including hybrid vehicles are also exempt from these taxes if they emit less than 95 g/km for diesel-powered vehicles, or less than 110 g/km for gasoline-powered vehicles.

Two Car2Go Smart electric drives charging at the Herengracht in Amsterdam.

Buyers also have access to parking spaces in Amsterdam reserved for battery electric vehicles, so they will avoid the current wait for a parking place in Amsterdam, which can reach up to 10 years in some parts of the city. Free charging is also offered in public parking spaces. Other factors contributing to the rapid adoption of plug-in electric vehicles are the relative small size of the country, which reduces range anxiety (the Netherlands stretches about 100 mi (160 km) east to west); a long tradition of environmental activism; high gasoline prices (US$8.50 per gallon as of January 2013), which make the cost of running a car on electricity five times cheaper; and also some EV leasing programs provide free or discounted gasoline-powered vehicles for those who want to take a vacation driving long distances. With all of these incentives and tax breaks, plug-in electric cars have similar driving costs than conventional cars; nevertheless, sales of electric car sales have been lower than expected, and during 2012 they represented a market share of less than 1% of new car sales in the country.

On November 24, 2011, Amsterdam became the fifth city in the world with a Car2Go carsharing service, and the first in Europe with an all-electric fleet. A fleet of 300 Smart electric drives is available on-demand. These Car2Go vehicles and other electric cars in Amsterdam have access to more than 320 (As of September 2012) charging stations in the city area. The number is expected to increase significantly up to 1,000 by end of 2012.

The number of registered electric cars increased from 68 in 2009, through 395 in 2010 to 1,182 in 2011. As of December 2012, there are 6,275 electric-drive passenger vehicles registered in the Netherlands since 2009, of which, 4,341 are range extending or plug-in hybrids. When buses, trucks, motorcycles and other types of electric vehicles are accounted for, more than 7,400 electric vehicles have been registered in the country through December 2012. The number of charging stations increased from 400 units in 2010 to 1,841 by January 1, 2012.

A Fisker Karma and an Opel Ampera charging in Utrecht.

During the first half of 2012 a total of 1,878 electric-drive vehicles were sold in the Netherlands, representing a market share of 0.57% of new car sales during this period, and allowing the country to rank as the third best selling European EV market behind France and Germany. The Opel Ampera extended-range electric car became the best selling plug-in electric car in the Netherlands by May 2012, with a market share of more than 50%, and represented 77% of passenger EV sales in the country that month. The Netherlands is the top selling European market for the Ampera, with cumulative sales of 3,017 cars of the Volt/Ampera family through December 2012, including 2,704 Amperas and 313 Volts. During 2012 the Netherlands also led European sales of the Toyota Prius Plug-in Hybrid (1,184 units) and the Fisker Karma (140 units).

A total of 5,093 plug-in electric cars were registered in the Netherlands during 2012. Sales of plug-in hybrid cars took the lead over all-electric cars during 2012. In addition to the Opel Ampera ranking as the best selling electric-drive car with 2,696 units sold in 2012, the Prius Plug-in Hybrid ranks second, with 1,184 units, followed by the Chevrolet Volt with 306 units sold during the year. Adding 140 Fisker Karmas sold during 2012, the group of plug-in hybrid cars leads the Dutch market with 4,326 units sold during 2012, representing 84.9% of all plug-in electric car sales in the country during this period. As of December 2012, the Nissan Leaf is the top selling all-electric car in the country with 265 units sold in 2012, and a total of 559 units since their introduction in the country by mid 2011. The Mitsubishi i-MiEV family has sold 468 units since their release in 2010, including 252 iOns, 137 C-Zeros, and 79 i MiEVs.

Registration of electric-drive cars by best selling models in the Netherlands between 2009 and 2012
Model	Total EV sales 2009-2012	2012 Market share(1)	2012	2011	2010	2009
Opel Ampera	2,704	52.9%	2,696	8
Toyota Prius PHV(2)	1,184	23.2%	1,184
Nissan Leaf	559	5.2%	265	294
Smart electric drive(2)	322	1.1%	55	267
Chevrolet Volt	313	6.0%	306	7
Peugeot iOn	252	3.3%	170	82
Fisker Karma	140	2.7%	140
Citroën C-Zero	137	2.2%	110	27
Renault Fluence Z.E.	119	2.3%	115	4
Th!nk City(2)	112	0.3%	13	26	49	24
Tesla Roadster	100	0.5%	26	43	27	4
Mitsubishi i-MiEV	79	0.3%	13	61	5
Total PEVs registered (cumulative)	6,275	-	6,275	1,182	395	68
Notes: (1) Market share as percentage of the 5,093 plug-in electric cars registered in the Netherlands during 2012. (2) 2012 sales of Prius PHV, Smart ED and Th!nk City according to ANWB through December 2012.

New Zealand

As of November 2012, there were only around 60 electric cars registered in the country. Between January and March 2009 the Mitsubishi i-MiEV was brought to New Zealand as part of an electric vehicle trial, during which the i-MiEV travelled the entire country, testing infrastructure and demonstrating the vehicle to the public. As of March 2011 there were 8 i-MiEV in use in Wellington, as a field trial sponsored by the Wellington City Council, New Zealand Post, Meridian Energy, The Wellington Company and Mitsubishi Motors. Sales to the public began in July 2011 in limited numbers. Sales of the NIssan Leaf sales began in July 2012.

Norway

A Tesla Roadster, a REVAi and a Th!nk City at a free parking and charging station in Oslo, Norway. The country has the largest electric car ownership per capita in the world.

Norway, with 10,005 plug-in electric cars registered through December 2012, is the country with the largest EV ownweship per capita in the world, with Oslo recognized as the EV capital of the world. Norway's fleet of electric cars is one of the cleanest in the world because almost 100% percent of the electricity generated in the country comes from hydropower. As of early 2013, the electric car is the family's second car for around 40% of the Norwegian households owning electric cars.

As of September 2012, EV registrations were concentrated in three counties, Akershus with 2,512 units, Oslo with 1,993 units and Hordaland, with 862 electric cars. As of December 2012, there were in the country 3,791 electric recharge points, and the county with the most stations is Oslo with 896 normal recharging points and 8 quick charging stations.

The Parliament of Norway set the goal to reach 50,000 zero emission vehicles by 2018. Among the existing incentives, all-electric cars are exempt in Norway from all non-recurring vehicle fees, including purchase taxes, which are extremely high for ordinary cars, and 25% VAT on purchase, together making electric car purchase price competitive with conventional cars. As an example, by early 2013 the price of the top selling Nissan Leaf is 240,690 krone (around US$42,500) while the purchase price of the 1.3-lt Volkswagen Golf is 238,000 Krone (about US$42,000). Electric vehicles are also exempt from the annual road tax, all public parking fees, and toll payments, as well as being able to use bus lanes. Plug-in hybrids are not eligible for these benefits. These incentives are in effect until 2017.

File:DnBNor3 b.jpg

The Buddy is among the best selling electric cars in Norway.

According to a study by an analyst of Statistics Norway, the tax exemptions on the purchase of an electric car are worth almost US$11,000 in comparison to the fully taxed price of a regular internal combustion engine car, which is equivalent to US$1,400 a year over a car's lifetime (8 years). The value of the toll exemption for driving into Oslo are worth US$1,400 per year, the free parking is worth US$5,000 per year, and electric cars avoid other charges worth US$400 a year. Without adding value to the benefit of driving in bus lanes, the annual benefit of owning an electric car in Oslo is estimated at US$8,200 per car, per year.

A Nissan Leaf, the top selling electric car in the country, a Volvo C30 Electric, and several Th!nk City cars participating at a promotional EV rally in Oslo.

A total of 2,240 cars were sold in 2011, up from 722 in 2010. Sales in 2011 were led by the Mitsubishi i-MiEV family with 1,477 units including 1,050 i-MiEVs, 217 Peugeot iOns and 210 Citroën C-Zeros, together representing 66% of electric car sales in Norway that year. During 2012 a total of 4,679 plug-in electric cars were registered, including 318 plug-in hybrids and 59 electric vans. Electric-drive car sales in 2012 represented a 3.1% market share of passenger car sales in the country, up from 1.6% in 2011. Registrations in 2012 included 300 imported used electric vehicles, representing 1.0% of total used imports in the country.

Sales in 2012 were led by the Nissan Leaf with 2,487 units registered, including 189 imported used Leafs, and Leaf sales represented 53% of PEV sales that year. Cumulative sales reached 2,860 Leafs since its launch in September 2011, which account for more than 5% of the Leaf's global sales. Norway is the only country in the world where an electric car has ranked among the top 10 best selling cars, as the Nissan Leaf ranked 9th in October new car sales, and ended 2012 in the 13th place, representing a market share of 1.7% of all new car sales in the country, up from 0.3% in 2011.

The other top selling models in 2012 were the Mitsubishi i-MiEV with 672 units (7 used imports), Citroën C-Zero 560 (47 used imports), and Peugeot iOn 477 (47 used imports), for a total of 1,709 i MiEV family cars registered. Since 2009, the i-MiEV family has sold 3,147 new electric cars through December 2012. According to Tesla Motors, Norway is Tesla's highest per capita sales market, and as of November 2012, the number of orders of Tesla Model S in Norway is second only to the United States.

The following table presents yearly registrations for the best selling all-electric cars by year since 2008 through December 2012.

Registration of electric cars by best selling models in Norway between 2008 and 2012
Model	Total EV sales 2009-2012	Market share(1)	Sales 2012	Sales 2011	Sales 2010	Sales 2009	Sales 2008
Nissan Leaf	2,868	28.7%	2,487	381
Mitsubishi i-MiEV	1,722	17.2%	672	1,050
Citroën C-Zero	770	7.7%	560	210
Th!nk City	762	7.6%	22	133	331	93	183
Buddy/Pure Mobility	752	7.5%	24	125	233	161	209
Peugeot iOn	664	6.6%	447	217
Toyota Prius PHV	171	1.7%	171
Opel Ampera	141	1.4%	141
Total top selling EVs	7,850	78.5%	4,524	2,116	564	254	392
Notes: (1) Market share as percentage of the 10,005 plug-in electric cars registered in Norway through December 2012, including used imports, plug-in hybrids and utility vans.

Poland

Poland is developing charging station infrastructure in Gdańsk, Katowice, Kraków, Mielec and Warsaw. Funds for the project come from the European Union. The biggest organization in Poland in the area of electric vehicles is Klaster Green Stream.
The Polish company 3xE - samochody elektryczne (3xE - electric cars) offer electric vehicle conversions of small city cars such as the Smart ForTwo, Citroën C1, Fiat Panda, Peugeot 107, Audi A2. The converted cars have a range of about 100 km (60 mi), using lithium iron phosphate (LiFePO
₄) batteries and brushless DC electric motors, and the conversion can cost less than €12,000.

Philippines

The first electric car in the country was launched at Silliman University by Insular Technologies in August 2007. In some major urban cities in the Philippines like Makati, E-Jeepneys or Electric Jeepneys are used as well as Electrical Tricycles (Rickshaws). Eagle G-Car a Philippine all-electric car was made available for purchase in the Philippines as low as $33,000-$66,000), the car is made out of fiber glass. While E-Jeepneys are expected to be available in many other cities in the Philippines and hope to be revolutionize and made into an icon of the Philippines, it is a venture of Renewable Independent Power Producer Inc., which sprang from Greenpeace and other groups, and Solarco, which in turn is a part of GRIPP.

Portugal

Portugal has also reached agreements with French car maker Renault and its Japanese partner Nissan to boost the use of electric cars by creating a national recharging network. The aim is to make Portugal one of the first countries to offer drivers nationwide charging stations.

Spain

A Mitsubishi i MiEV in Spain.

In May 2011 the Spanish government approved a €72 million (US$103 million) fund for year 2011 to promote electric vehicles. The incentives include direct subsidies for the acquisition of new electric cars for up to 25% of the purchase price, before tax, to a maximum of €6,000 per vehicle (US$8,600), and 25% of the gross purchase price of other electric vehicles such as buses and vans, with a maximum of €15,000 or €30,000, depending on the range and type of vehicle. Several regional government grant incentives for the purchase of alternative fuel vehicles including electric and hybrid vehicles. In Aragón, Asturias, Baleares, Madrid, Navarra, Valencia, Castilla-La Mancha, Murcia, Castilla y León electric vehicles are eligible to a €6,000 tax incentive and hybrids to €2,000.

Retail sales of the Mitsubishi i-MiEV began in December 2010 . A total of 233 i-MiEV family electric cars were sold during 2011, representing 58% of all electric vehicles sold in Spain that year. Cumulative sales through September 2012 reached 363 units including 194 iOns, 141 C-Zeros and 28 i-MiEVs. The Nissan Leaf was released in Barcelonain September 2011, followed by Madrid in October 2011. A total of 137 Leafs have been sold through September 2012.

A total of 401 electric cars and utility vehicles were sold in Spain during 2011, led by the Peugeot iOn with 125 units, followed by 85 Citroën C-Zeros and 59 Nissan Leafs. During the first half of 2012 a total of 209 electric cars were sold, representing a market share of 0.05% of new car sales.

Sweden

In September 2011 the Swedish government approved a 200 million kr program, effective starting in January 2012, that will provide subsidies for the purchase of electric cars and other "super green cars" with ultra-low carbon emissions (below 50 grams of carbon dioxide per km).

There is also an exemption from the annual circulation tax for the first five years from the date of their first registration that benefits owners of electric vehicles with an energy consumption of 37 kWh per 100 km or less, and hybrid vehicles with CO₂emissions of 120 g/km or less. In addition, for both electric and hybrid vehicles, the taxable value of the car for the purposes of calculating the benefit in kind of a company car under personal income tax is reduced by 40% compared with the corresponding or comparable gasoline or diesel-powered car. The reduction of the taxable value has a cap of 16,000 kr per year.

Since their inception a total of 167 Mitsubishi i MiEVs have been registered in Sweden through September 2012, including 76 i MiEVs, 54 C-Zeros, and 37 iOns. Nissan Leaf deliveries in the Swedish market began in February 2012 . All Leafs are equipped with the cold-weather package. A total of 77 Leafs have been sold through September 2012.

A total of 181 all-electric vehicles were sold in Sweden in 2011, and sales of plug-in electric vehicles climbed to 928 units in 2012, with sales led by the Toyota Prius Plug-in Hybrid with 499 units, followed by the Nissan Leaf with 129 units, and the third place was shared by the Volvo C30 Electric and the Opel Ampera with 88 units each. Electric-drive cars reached a market share of 0.33% in 2012. In addition, 256 Renault Kangoo Z.E. utility vans were sold in 2012.

The following table presents registrations of highway-capable plug-in electric cars by model between 2011 and 2012.

Registration of highway-capable plug-in electric cars by model in Sweden between 2011 and 2012
Model	Total Sales 2010-2012	Market share(1)	Sales 2012	Sales 2011
Toyota Prius PHV	499	45.0%	499
Nissan Leaf	129	11.6%	129
Volvo C30 Electric	136	12.3%	88	48
Opel Ampera	88	7.9%	88
Mitsubishi i MiEV	80	7.2%	9	71
Citroën C-Zero	60	5.4%	29	31
Volvo S60 PHEV	42	3.8%	42
Peugeot iOn	37	3.3%	9	28
Chevrolet Volt	33	3.0%	33
Smart electric drive	2	0.2%	2
Total registrations	1,109	100%	928	181
Note: (1) Market share as percentage of the 1,109 electric cars registered in Sweden during 2011 and 2012.

Switzerland

Deliveries of the Mitsubishi i MiEV began in 2011, and a total of 430 units have been registered in Switzerland through September 2012, including 219 i MiEVs, 110 C-Zeros, and 101 iOns. The Nissan Leaf was launched in November 2011, and a total of 86 Leafs have been sold through September 2012. The Swiss government does not have any subsidies or incentives for purchasing plug-in electric vehicles.

United Kingdom

The REVAi/G-Wiz i electric car charging at an on-street station in London.

Speaking at the G8 summit in 2008, former British Prime Minister Gordon Brown announced plans for Britain to be at the forefront of a "green car revolution". Mr. Brown suggested that by 2020 all new cars sold in Britain could be electric or hybrid vehicles producing less than 100 grams of CO₂ per kilometer (5.7 oz(CO₂)/mi). In preparation for the introduction of mass-produced electric vehicles to Britain's roads, trials of electric cars took place from 2009, with further trials in cities across the UK from 2010. Local British councils were invited to submit bids to become Britain's first "green cities". One example is Glasgow, where a Scottish consortium has been awarded more than £1.8m to run a pilot electric car scheme from 2009-11.

London mayor Boris Johnson has also announced plans to deliver 25,000 electric car-charging places across the capital by 2015, in order to make London the "electric car capital of Europe". His target is to get 100,000 electric vehicles on to London's streets. Mr Johnson has also pledged to convert at least 1,000 Greater London Authority fleet vehicles to electric by 2015. There has been criticism that although electric vehicles are available, places to charge them are not.

Field testing with 100 Smart EDs began in London in 2007. On 30 April 2009, the Electric Car Corporation put on sale the Citroën C1 ev'ie, an adapted Citroën C1 intended for city driving. On that date, it had a list price of £16,850 ($24,989 US).

A demonstration trial with the Mini E took place between December 2009 and March 2011 with 40 Mini E cars leased to private users for a two consecutive six-month field trial periods. In addition, one Mini E was delivered to the Government car pool in Downing Street to be tested by ministers in an urban environment on their official business around London. The UK trial was a partnership between BMW Group UK, Scottish and Southern Energy, the South East England Development Agency (SEEDA), Oxford City Council and Oxfordshire County Council. Data collection and research was conducted by Oxford Brookes University’s Sustainable Vehicle Engineering Centre throughout the UK project. Funding support was provided by the Technology Strategy Board and the Department for Transport (DFT) as part of the £25 million (US$41 million) UK-wide program involving trials of 340 ultra-low carbon vehicles from several carmakers. The selected test area is roughly a triangle contained within the M40 motorway between the M25 motorway and Oxford, the A34 south to the M3 motorway, and the M3 back to the M25.

Mini E recharging in the UK

The 40 Mini E electric cars were kept in use after the trial was completed in March 2011, participating in activities to promote awareness and understanding of electric vehicles. These cars were part of the BMW Group UK’s official vehicle fleet of 4,000 low-emission luxury vehicles deployed for the London 2012 Olympic Games. The fleet also included 160 BMW ActiveE electric cars.

Nissan's Sunderland plant — the largest car factory in the UK — was granted a £20.7 million grant from the British government and up to £220 million from the European Investment Bank. The Nissan Leaf will also be produced at the Sunderland plant beginning in 2013. The UK produced Leaf will be sold only in Europe and is expected to have an improved driving range, lower price and a more European design. The plant will produce 60,000 lithium-ion batteries a year, and it also is expected to deliver 50,000 Leaf EVs a year. Once production starts at the Sunderland plant, Nissan expects to reduce the Leaf price in the European market by 2013.

Sales

More than 4,432 electric-drive cars have been registered in the UK through December 2012. Since 2006 a total of 1,096 electric cars were registered in the U.K. through December 2010, and a total of 1,082 units were sold during 2011, up from 138 units in 2010. During 2012, a total of 1,262 all-electric cars were registered in the UK, led by the Nissan Leaf with 699 units. Registrations during this period climb to 2,254 when sales of plug-in electric vehicles eligible for the Plug-in Car Grant are accounted for, with the Toyota Prius Plug-in Hybrid ranking second after the Leaf with 470 units, followed by the Vauxhall Ampera with 455 units sold in 2012. In addition, 279 Renault Kangoo Z.E. electric vans and 252 Renault Twizy electric quadricycles were sold through September 2012. As of December 2012, the top selling electric car in the UK is the Nissan Leaf with 1,334 units sold since its introduction in March 2011.

The following table presents registrations of highway-capable electric-drive cars by model between 2010 and 2012.

Registration of highway-capable electric cars by model in the UK between 2010 and 2012
Model	Total Sales 2010-2012	Market share(1)	Sales 2012	Sales 2011	Sales 2010
Nissan Leaf	1,344	30.1%	699	635
Toyota Prius PHV	470	10.6%	470
Vauxhall Ampera	459	10.4%	455	4
Peugeot iOn	375	8.5%	251	124
Mitsubishi i MiEV	259	5.8%	107	125	27
Citroën C-Zero	156	3.5%	110	46
Renault Fluence Z.E.	67	1.5%	67
Chevrolet Volt	67	1.5%	67
Total registrations	4,432	100%	2,254	1,082	138
Note: (1) Market share as percentage of the 4,432 electric cars registered in the UK through December 2012.

Government incentives

See also: Plug-in Car Grant

In January 2009, transport secretary Geoff Hoon said the British government would make £250 million available for consumer incentives to bring electric cars to market in the UK.

The Tesla Roadster is available in the U.K. but is not included on the government's plug-in electric car grant list of eligible vehicles.

The Plug-in Car Grant program started on 1 January 2011 and is available across the U.K. The programme reduces the up-front cost of eligible cars by providing a 25% grant towards the cost of new plug-in cars capped at £5,000 (US$7,800). Both private and business fleet buyers are eligible for this grant which is received at the point of purchase. The subsidy programme is managed in a similar way to the grant made as part of the 2009 Car Scrappage Scheme, allowing consumers to buy an eligible car discounted at the point of purchase with the subsidy claimed back by the manufacturer afterwards.

As of December 2012, the following cars are eligible for the grant: Mitsubishi i-MiEV, Peugeot iOn, Citroen C-ZERO, Smart Fortwo electric drive, Nissan Leaf, Vauxhall Ampera, Chevrolet Volt, Toyota Prius Plug-in Hybrid, Renault Fluence ZE and the Mia electric. The Tesla Roadster is not included on the government's plug-in electric car grant list of eligible vehicles. Tesla stated that the company applied for the scheme, but has not completed its application. As of December 2012, 3,021 claims have been made through the Plug-In Car Grant scheme since January 2011, out of 3,293 that were registered in the UK and eligible to the benefit.

The Plug-In Car Grant was extended to include vans since February 2012. Van buyers can receive 20% - up to £8000 - off the cost of a plug-in van. To be eligible for the scheme, vans have to meet performance criteria to ensure safety, range, and ultra-low tailpipe emissions. Consumers, both business and private can receive the discount at the point of purchase. The eligibility criteria are:

As of June 2012, a total of 99 claims have been made through the Plug-in Van Grant scheme. As of September 2012, the following vans are eligible for the grant: Azure Transit Connect Electric; Mercedes-Benz Vito E-Cell; Faam Ecomile; Faam Jolly 2000; Mia U; and Smith Electric Edison.

Plugged-in Places

On 19 November 2009, Andrew Adonis, the Secretary of State for Transport, announced a scheme called "Plugged-in-Places", making available £30 million to be shared between three and six cities to investigate further the viability of providing power supply for electric vehicles, and encouraging local government and business to participate and bid for funds. Current bids from areas to be included in the "Plugged in Places" scheme include; London, Milton Keynes and North East England.

The Government is supporting the ‘Plugged-In Places’ programme to install vehicle recharging points across the UK. The scheme offers match-funding to consortia of businesses and public sector partners to support the installation of electric vehicle recharging infrastructure in lead places across the UK. There are eight Plugged-In Places: East of England; Greater Manchester; London; Midlands; Milton Keynes; North East; Northern Ireland; and Scotland. The Government also published an Infrastructure Strategy in June 2011.

United States

The Nissan Leaf electric car (left) and the Chevrolet Volt plug-in hybrid (right) were the first two series production plug-in electric vehicles introduced by major automakers in the U.S.

Main article: Plug-in electric vehicles in the United States

As of December 2012, the United States has the largest fleet of plug-in electric vehicles in the world, with around 75,000 highway-capable plug-in electric cars sold since the market launch of the Tesla Roadster in 2008. A total of 17,800 units were delivered during 2011, and more than 53,000 during 2012. The market share of plug-in electric passenger cars grew from 0.14% in 2011 to 0.37% of total new car sales in 2012.

Cumulative sales of new PEVs are doing better than sales of HEVs in the United States over their respective 24 month introductory periods.

Cumulative sales since December 2010 are led by the Chevrolet Volt plug-in hybrid with 31,458 units, followed by the Nissan Leaf electric car with 19,512 units through December 2012. Both PEVs were released in December 2010. Launched in the U.S. market in February 2012, the Prius PHV ranks as the third top selling plug-in electric car with 12,750 units sold during its first year in the market. As of October 2012, the U.S. has 13,967 public charging units, of which 3,472 are located in California, followed by Texas with 1,155, and Washington with 1,013 units.

Sales of series production PEVs during its first two years in the U.S. market have been lower than the initial expectations. However, according to the U.S. Department of Energy, combined sales of plug-in hybrids and battery electric cars are climbing more rapidly and outselling by more than double sales of hybrid-electric vehicles over their respective 24 month introductory periods, as shown in the graph at the left.

As of March 2013, other plug-in electric drive motor vehicles available for sale in the country include the Smart ED, Wheego Whip, Fisker Karma, Mitsubishi i, BMW ActiveE, Ford Focus Electric, Coda sedan, Tesla Model S, Honda Fit EV, Toyota RAV4 EV, Ford C-Max Energi, Honda Accord Plug-in Hybrid, Ford Fusion Energi, and several models of electric motorcycles and neighborhood electric vehicles (NEVs).

In 2012, and as sales have fallen short of projections, Pike Research projected that annual sales of plug-in electric vehicles in the U.S. will reach 400,073 units in 2020, with California as the state with the highest PEV sales over the remainder of this decade, with nearly 25% of all PEVs sold in the United States between 2012 and 2020. In terms of market share, California will be followed by New York, Florida, Texas, and Washington, but Hawaii is expected by 2020 to have the highest penetration rate of PEVs as a percentage of all light duty vehicle sales. California is predicted to have four of the top ten metropolitan areas for PEV sales: Los Angeles–Long Beach, San Francisco Bay Area, Silicon Valley, and Greater Sacramento. According to forecasts made by Pike Research in January 2013, the United States will continue to be the largest market for PEVs in 2020, but the European market is anticipated to have a higher market penetration (4.0% market share) due to its higher gasoline prices and supportive government policies, while Japan is expected to become the largest market for hybrid electric vehicles.

The following table presents sales for the best selling highway-capable plug-in electric cars since 1996 through February 2013.

Top selling highway-capable plug-in electric cars available for retail sales or leasing in the U.S. between 1996 and February 2013
Model	Type of PEV	Market launch	Sales/leases	Comments
Chevrolet Volt	Plug-in hybrid	December 2010	34,224	The Volt is the top selling plug-in electric car in the United States. Sales through February 2013.
Nissan Leaf	Electric car	December 2010	20,815	The Leaf is the top selling all-electric car in the United States. Sales through January 2013.
Toyota Prius PHV	Plug-in hybrid	February 2012	14,317	Sales through February 2013.
Tesla Model S	Electric car	June 2012	5,350	Sales through February 2013.
Ford C-Max Energi	Plug-in hybrid	October 2012	3,046	Units delivered through February 2013.
Fisker Karma	Plug-in hybrid	November 2011	Less than 2,000	Around 2,000 units have been delivered by October 2012, mostly in the U.S. (only 183 units sold in Europe through October 2012.) Exact U.S. sales not available.
Tesla Roadster	Electric car	March 2008	About 1,800	Almost 2,500 units sold worldwide by December 2012, exact U.S. sales not available. Production ended in January 2012 and not available for sale in the U.S. since December 2011.
Toyota RAV4 EV (1st gen)	Electric car	1997	1,484	Units leased from 1997 to 2003. As of mid 2012, there were almost 500 units still in use.
Mitsubishi i	Electric car	December 2011	1,262	Sales through February 2013.
General Motors EV1	Electric car	1996	1,117	Units leased from 1996 to 2003.
Ford Focus Electric	Electric car	December 2011	932	Sales through February 2013. Deliveries to retail customers began in May 2012 and initial availability was limited to New York, New Jersey and California.
BMW ActiveE	Electric car	January 2012	671	Units leased through February 2013. Limited production available only for leasing as part of a demonstration program.
Smart electric drive	Electric car	January 2011	532	Units registered through February 2013. Includes a fleet of 300 Smart EDs deployed in San Diego in November 2011 as part of the Car2Go carsharing service.
Mini E	Electric car	June 2009	500	Field testing began in June 2009 and ended on December 2011.

Government incentives

See also: U.S. federal, state and local government incentives

The Energy Improvement and Extension Act of 2008, and later the American Clean Energy and Security Act of 2009 (ACES) granted tax credits for new qualified plug-in electric vehicles. The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA) also authorized federal tax credits for converted plug-ins, though the credit is lower than for new PEVs.

President Barack Obama behind the wheel of a new Chevrolet Volt during his tour of the General Motors Auto Plant in Hamtramck, Michigan

The federal tax credit for new plug-in electric vehicles is worth $2,500 plus $417 for each kilowatt-hour of battery capacity over 5 kWh, and the portion of the credit determined by battery capacity cannot exceed $5,000. Therefore, the total amount of the credit allowed for a new PEV is $7,500. Several states have established incentives and tax exemptions for BEVs and PHEV, and other non-monetary incentives.

Two separate initiatives are being pursued in 2011 to transform the tax credit into a cash rebate worth up to $7,500. The initiatives by Senator Debbie Stabenow and the Obama Administration seek to make new qualifying plug-in electric cars more accessible to buyers by making the incentive more effective. The rebate will be available at the point of sale allowing consumers to avoid a wait of up to a year to apply the tax credit against income tax returns. Another change to the rules governing the tax credit was introduced by Senator Carl Levin and Representative Sander Levin who are proposing to raise the existing cap on the number of plug-in vehicles eligible for the tax credit. The proposal raises that limit from the existing 200,000 PEVs per manufacturer to 500,000 units.

The U.S. government also has pledged US$2.4 billion in federal grants to support the development of next-generation electric cars and batteries, and US$115 million for the installation of electric vehicle charging infrastructure in 16 different metropolitan areas around the country. President Barack Obama also set the goal of bringing 1 million plug-in electric vehicles on the road by 2015. However, considering the actual slow rate of PEV sales, as of mid 2012 several industry observers have concluded that this goal is unattainable.

CARB ZEV mandate

The General Motors EV1 was one of the first PEVs introduced in 1996 as a result of CARB's zero-emissions vehicle mandate.

Since the late 1980s, electric vehicles have been promoted in the US through the use of tax credits. Electric cars are the most common form of what is defined by the California Air Resources Board (CARB) as zero emission vehicle (ZEV) passenger automobiles, because they produce no emissions while being driven. The CARB had set progressive quotas for sales of ZEVs, but most were withdrawn after lobbying and a lawsuit by auto manufacturers complaining that EVs were economically infeasible due to an obvious lack of consumer demand. Many of factors that hindered the widespread production of electric cars during the late 1990s and 2000s are discussed in the documentary film Who Killed the Electric Car?.

The California program was designed by CARB to reduce air pollution and not specifically to promote electric vehicles. Under pressure from various manufactures, CARB replaced the zero emissions requirement with a combined requirement of a very small number of ZEVs to promote research and development, and a much larger number of partial zero-emissions vehicles (PZEVs), an administrative designation for a super ultra low emissions vehicle (SULEV), which emits about 10% of the pollution of ordinary low emissions vehicles and are also certified for zero evaporative emissions. While effective in reaching the air pollution goals projected for the zero emissions requirement, the market effect was to permit the major manufacturers to quickly terminate their electric car programs and crush the vehicles.

See also

• Battery electric vehicle
• Electric car
• Electric vehicle
• Government incentives for plug-in electric vehicles
• List of modern production plug-in electric vehicles
• Neighborhood electric vehicle
• Plug-in electric vehicle