The number of electric vehicles on the road rocketed to 2 million in 2016, having been virtually nonexistent just five years ago, according to the International Energy Agency.

Globally, 753 000 plug-in electric vehicles were sold in 2016, 60 percent of which were battery-electric cars.

China remained the largest market for electric vehicles for a second consecutive year and, in 2016, accounted for close to half of global sales. Europe represented the second-largest global market, followed by the United States.