China’s electric vehicle influence expands nearly everywhere – except the US and Canada

BYD electric cars wait at a Chinese port to be loaded onto the automobile carrier BYD Shenzhen, which was slated to sail to Brazil. STR/AFP via Getty Images

In 2025, 1 in 4 new automotive vehicle sales globally are expected to be an electric vehicle – either fully electric or a plug-in hybrid.

That is a significant rise from just five years ago, when EV sales amounted to fewer than 1 in 20 new car sales, according to the International Energy Agency, an intergovernmental organization examining energy use around the world.