October 12, 2026 - The Rest of The World Surges Ahead On Electricity

This is the Telemetry Transportation Daily for October 12, 2026, and I'm Sam Abuelsamid, Vice President of Market Research for Telemetry. 

While America continues to play politics with what sort of energy we should be using to propel vehicles, the rest of the world continues to leave us in the dust. So far this year, battery-electric vehicles only account for 5.74% of U.S. vehicles and total electrified models, including hybrids, plug-in hybrids, and BEVs, account for 26%, with 74% being pure internal combustion. Meanwhile, globally, combustion powertrains have fallen below the 50% mark for the first time since the early 20th century. As recently as 2021, combustion vehicles still had a 73% global market share. That shift is being driven by China, which is now the world's largest vehicle market by a wide margin and its growing export business, which is dominated by EVs and plug-in hybrids. Europe is also moving heavily toward EVs, with nearly a quarter of sales having no engine this year. 

While Norway has long been the leader in electric adoption, with nearly 98% of new vehicle sales being EVs this year. The UK is now seeing the consequences of its move toward more isolationist policies from its European neighbors thanks to Brexit, as nearly a fourth of new vehicles sold there are produced in China. Last month, while VW was still the top-selling brand in the UK, BYD was second overall and the top-selling individual model with the Jaecoo 7, an SUV produced by Chery with a plug-in hybrid powertrain that delivers 56-57 miles of range. Chinese-built Tesla Model 3s also did very well in UK sales. Battery electric vehicles accounted for 28.3% of the overall market there, with plug-in hybrids getting another 17%. 

With Chinese EVs now starting to arrive in Canada with low tariff rates, they are expected to grab an increasing market share. Tesla is now offering a Chinese-built Model 3 in Canada for CAD 41,500, which is under $30,000 USD at current exchange rates. While those vehicles may not be allowed within U.S. borders right now, U.S. automakers need to push ahead with more affordable electrified options if they expect to be part of the market in the future. With the conflict in the Middle East likely to spread, fuel is unlikely to get cheaper anytime soon. 

Thanks for listening.