Cumulative range of EVs sold worldwide tops 1.9 billion km in 2021

NEW YORK: The cumulative range of all electric cars sold worldwide in 2021 has exceeded 1.9 billion kilometres, a figure that has doubled in one year, according to the consulting firm AlixPartners.

Even though it is strongly influenced by the increase in sales, this "electrification index" also shows how the range of electric cars (100% electric or plug-in hybrids) continues to grow.

With a little more than a billion kilometres of cumulative range, China appears to be the most mature market.

Europe has 852 million cumulative kilometres, while North America has 442 million kilometres. In China and Europe, one in six vehicles registered in 2021 was electric, compared with one in 18 in the United States and Canada.

According to the American firm, the average range for electric vehicles sold in 2021 is now just over 380km. However, there are still significant differences between brands, with Tesla offering models with more than 500km of range, while some Chinese SUVs are much more limited.

According to AlixPartners, nearly three-quarters of the 2.2 million electric vehicles bought in Q4 2021 were fully electric cars.

In that quarter alone, Tesla led the automakers in cumulative range, with 257 million kilometres, ahead of China's BYD (144 million kilometres), Volkswagen (88 million kilometres), Hyundai (69 million kilometres) and Geely (46 million kilometres).