International Energy Agency reports that EV's are on the rise.

Charged Up: International Energy Agency Releases EV Growth Projections

The International Energy Agency (IEA) has released electric vehicle growth projections through 2030, showing a huge jump in interest.

Time was drivers in the United States loved their gas-guzzling boat cars or humongous SUV's and didn't mind the smog and the smoke and the gas prices. While this is still true for some drivers in the country, electric vehicles and hybrids are making huge gains in consumer interest to the point where sales are projected to skyrocket in the coming decade, according to the International Energy Agency. Is it gas prices? Is it climate change? The push for clean energy?

In a report, the number of electric vehicles  and plug-ins on the road jumped 54 percent over 2016, now at 3 million vehicles, with projections of 125 million cars by 2030. This is a staggering jump in not only the physical context, pointing out that we'll see more silent clean cars buzzing around, but it also points out that drivers' mentalities are changing about how we get around.

The What and the Why and the How

Top-line findings include continued market dominance for China, now responsible for more than half of global EV sales, with Norway, Iceland, and Sweden in Europe leading electric car market share at 39, 11.7, and 6.3 percent, respectively. Insights into public versus private charging infrastructure are in as well, with projections private chargers expected to beat the number of electric cars by 10 percent within the next 8 years.

To read the International Energy Agency report in its entirety, visit Global EV Outlook 2018 (registration is required)

NEXT: Behind the Smart Fourtwo-Pickup Hybrid

Watch