Energy and transition economics
2026-04-26
11 minute read
19 sources
The electric vehicle recalibration of 2024 to 2026: how the S curve flattened in the West, why China kept going, and where margins, batteries, and policy reset
Global plug in sales hit 17.1 million in 2024 and 22 percent share, but US growth stalled at 1.3 million, Europe contracted, and OEMs from Ford to Volvo wrote down EV programs even as China cleared 11 million units and BYD shipped 4.27 million vehicles.
Electric vehicle adoption did not collapse, it bifurcated. The IEA reports 17.1 million plug in sales in 2024, 22 percent of new car sales globally, with China alone at 11.3 million units and roughly 47 percent domestic share. Europe contracted to about 3.0 million plug ins as ACEA registrations fell, and the United States crawled to 1.3 ...