The world’s top 25 electric vehicle cities account for 42% of global EV sales. From charging infrastructure to financial incentives, new research examines what they’re doing right

The blueprint for successful mainstream electric vehicle adoption is hiding in plain sight — in cities with the highest global new passenger electric vehicle sales.

That’s the takeaway from a new policy briefing by the International Council on Clean Transportation which identifies the world’s top 25 “EV capitals” and examines the impact that effective policy strategies have played in driving EV passenger sales in those cities.

“Local governments have often set even bolder goals” …than national governments

ICCT study

Local EV policies key

The top city on the list is Shanghai, where 242,000 EVs were sold through the end of 2018, followed by Beijing (220,000) and Los Angeles (202,000). China leads the pack internationally with 13 cities in the top 25, followed by the United States with five and Norway with two.

In all, these 25 cities accounted for an amazing 42% of global EV sales.

In revealing important insights, the report stresses that while national government policies get a lot of attention, “local governments have often set even bolder goals and developed unique promotion actions, resulting in significantly higher uptake within specific local markets.”

Carrots and sticks

Cities with the highest rates of EV adoption, the report shows, each provide tax credits of varying levels for purchasers of new EVs. In California, where four cities on the list are located, zero-emission vehicles are granted access to high-occupancy and express lanes; similarly, in Amsterdam, EVs receive priority in obtaining residential parking permits. Several cities also grant electric vehicles free public parking for limited periods or indefinitely (as is the case in San Jose and Paris).

In Chinese cities such as Shanghai and Shenzen, quotas on gasoline vehicles make acquiring a licence for one a lengthy and expensive process. There is no limit, however, to the number of electric vehicles that can be registered, making the purchase of an EV much more attractive.  

China leads in public charging

Several of the world’s top EV cities have also used local building and parking codes to establish robust public charging infrastructure systems.

Shenzen alone (ranked fourth on the list) has 60,000 public charging points — which is more than the amount in the 11 U.S. and European cities on the list combined — and 30% of the city’s parking spots in residential buildings or in public must be equipped with chargers; the remainder must have the electrical wiring necessary to be “EV ready.”

These findings may be especially valuable for Canadian policymakers, as none of the country’s cities appear on the list. The City of Toronto has, however, recently proposed an electric vehicle strategy to prepare for rapidly increasing levels of adoption. It is also worth noting that the ICCT’s findings only take sales through 2018 into account; Canadian EV sales have grown significantly in 2019. In British Columbia, for example, zero-emission vehicles represented 10% of all passenger vehicles sold since May 2019.

ICCT’s list of global EV capitals:

1. Shanghai
2. Beijing
3. Los Angeles
4. Shenzhen
5. Hangzhou
6. Oslo
7. Tianjin
8. San Francisco
9. Guangzhou
10. San Jose
11. Qingdao
12. Tokyo
13. Zhengzhou
14. Bergen
15. New York
16. Changsha
17. Paris
18. Weifang
19. London
20. Amsterdam
21. Nanchang
22. San Diego
23. Chongqing
24. Stockholm
25. Wuhan