Electric cars will not stem global demand for oil, says BP

(The Guardian, 27 Jan 2017) Company predicts 100-fold rise in number of electric cars, but says fossil fuels will still account for 75% of energy mix in 2035.

Global demand for oil will still be growing in 2035 even with an enormous growth in electric cars in the next two decades, with numbers on the road rising from 1m to 100m, BP has predicted.

The oil and gas giant predicted that despite electric cars spreading rapidly and renewable energy recording exceptional growth, oil demand would still rise because of rising prosperity in the developing world. BP said electric cars would not be a “gamechanger” for the oil industry.

“It’s not Teslas and the US. It’s the fact that 2 billion people, much of that in Asia, are moving to middle incomes, can buy their first motor car and that drives up oil demand. It’s that stuff that really matters,” said Spencer Dale, BP group’s chief economist.

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The Guardian, 25 Jan 2017: Electric cars will not stem global demand for oil, says BP