Responding to "An Uphill Battle for EVs vs. ICEs": Setting the Record Straight on the Status and Future of EV Adoption

In its Fourth Quarter 2020 edition, the IAEE Energy Forum published a perspective article authored by Mamdouh Salameh in which he asserts that "...while electric vehicles (EVs) are bound to get a share of the global transport system, they will never prevail over internal combustion engine vehicles (ICEVs). As a result, ICEVs will continue to be the dominant means of transport throughout the 21st century and far beyond." In that article Mr. Salameh makes several assertions to support his conclusions: 1) EV adoption has been negligible as of today; 2) massive investments are required to expand the global electricity generation capacity; 3) EVs have prohibitive purchase costs and higher operational costs relative to ICEVs; 4) EVs have poor charging speeds and availability; and 5) there is a lack of global support for transitioning to EVs, especially from industry. All these assertions, however, are not based on the most recent data and possibly misleading. In this response, we offer up-to-date data and statistics on the state of the global EV market and EV technologies. While we cannot predict the future success of different technologies, we argue that with respect to EVs, Mr. Salameh's outlook is outdated, factually inconsistent and overly pessimistic of the ingenuity displayed in solving seemingly intransigent problems.