Two decades of hybrid electric vehicle market

Abstract

The article presents a cross-sectional view of the development of the HEV car market over the last two decades. Hybrid cars are currently the widest group of cars equipped with alternative to classic drive systems. They are also the most numerous group among electric vehicles. The historical meanders of HEV development were described, as well as the current level of development of this market and the real prospects for the popularization of HEV cars. The level of world production of this category of motor vehicles in the twenty-year period 2001-2020 was also characterized. The article attempts to estimate the real size of the world\'s HEV fleet. The level of sales of this category of vehicles by individual countries and their changing percentage share in the passenger car market were also presented. Sales of electric hybrids even in the crisis year 2020 increased from 3.2 million to approx. 4 million vehicles, despite a decrease in sales of new passenger cars from 64 to 54 million units. The above fact also proves the market attractiveness of this type of vehicles and the constantly growing interest in them.