I first reported on the number of electric vehicles registered by the Province of PEI last year; I received updated numbers for 2020 late last week, and here’s a year-on-year comparison:
| Vehicle Type | 2019 | 2020 | Increase |
|---|---|---|---|
| Battery Electric | 33 | 84 | 150% |
| Hybrid | 403 | 862 | 113% |
| Plug-in Hybrid | 7 | 57 | 714% |
| TOTAL | 443 | 1,003 | 126% |
“Battery electric” vehicles are ones that run entirely on electricity; “hybrid” vehicles run on both gasoline and electricity but don’t plug in (the battery is charged by the gasoline engine), and ”plug-in hybrid” vehicles run on both gasoline and electricity (and the battery is charged both by the gasoline engine, and if plugged into the mains).
I suspect that the dramatic more-than-doubling in electric vehicles over the last year is due a combination of an actual increase and in better data quality control, spurred by the fact that electric vehicles are entitled to free motor vehicle registration. Nonetheless, the growth is good to see.