Global EV car sales surge 63% in 2018 to top 2 million vehicles
Global sales of passenger car electric vehicles (EVs) jumped by 63% last year to top 2 million units for the first time, helped by surging sales of plug-in EVs in the US, according to data provided by EV-Volumes. A total of 2.08 million plug-in EVs were delivered to customers in 2018Toyota and Panasonic Agree to Establish Joint Venture Related to Automotive Prismatic Batteries
Toyota and Panasonic have confirmed that they are starting a wide-ranging new battery joint venture to manufacture and sell battery cells for electric vehicles. Toyota Executive Vice President Shigeki Terashi said: “Together with Panasonic, we want to hone our competitiveness in batteries,Toyota, Panasonic setting up EV battery JV amid rising China competition: source
Toyota Motor Corp (7203.T) and Panasonic Corp (6752.T) are set to launch a joint venture next year to produce batteries for electric vehicles (EV) in an effort to compete with Chinese rivals, a source familiar with the matter said.

Denmark has proposed a ban on the sale of new petrol and diesel cars from 2030 and hybrid from 2035, joining international efforts to promote Electric Vehicles (EVs) to reduce air pollution and combat climate change. The government has previously come under fire for increasing tax on EVs in 2016, sending sales down from more than 3 percent of all new cars to almost zero, but now aims to follow the example being set in an increasing number of countries.
“It is a big ambition that will be hard to achieve. But that’s exactly why we need to try,” Danish Prime Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen told parliament on Tuesday. The plan requires parliamentary approval to become law and will be presented to parliament next week.
Britain and France have both pledged to ban new petrol and diesel cars from 2040 in move that could hit the wealth of oil producers and transform a car industry in which global carmakers are scrambling to adapt to the brave new world of electric vehicles.
In Sweden, sales of electric cars make up more than 7 percent of all new car sales while more than half of all new cars in Norway are electric or hybrid vehicles.
Denmark, the cradle of wind power, aims to become fossil fuel-free by 2050.
FULL ARTICLE: Denmark embraces electric car revolution with petrol and diesel ban plan