12 November 2012: A report from the International Energy Agency (IEA) Implementing Agreement for co-operation on Hybrid and Electric Vehicle Technologies and Programmes (IA-HEV), titled “Hybrid and Electric Vehicles: The Electric Drive Captures the Imagination,” offers a snapshot of hybrid and electric vehicles (H&EVs) in 17 countries and information about the work of IA-HEV and its task forces.

The 2011 annual report describes policies and industry related to H&EVs in key countries, and offers practical information and resources about H&EVs. The report also explores global growth in the H&EV market in 2011, reporting sales of 1.2 million electric vehicles, including e-bikes and scooters, and 2.5 million plug-in hybrid electric vehicles, and the importance of such vehicles in combating global climate change.

The report, dated March 2012 and made publicly available in November 2012, contains four parts. The first section is a summary of IA-HEV, including its 2011 activities, current structure, working programme, history and plans for work in future years. The second section details the results of the IA-HEV task forces’ research about H&EVs. The third paints a picture of H&EVs worldwide, including policy and statistical information from selected countries and details about H&EV issues in parts of East Asia and in Europe. The final section focuses on practical information about H&EVs and IEA IA-HEV, including a list of IEA IA-HEV’s publications.

IA-HEV was formed in 1993 to produce and disseminate balanced, objective information about advanced electric, hybrid, and fuel cell vehicles. [Publication: Hybrid and Electric Vehicles: The Electric Drive Captures the Imagination]