A new study from Juniper Research forecasts that nearly 17 million hybrid and electric vehicles will be on the road globally by 2020, up from an estimated 12 million last year.

The new research, ‘Hybrid and Electric Vehicles: Consumer and Commercial Markets’, found that electric car manufacturers are prioritising ‘range’ as the key issue. OEMs, such as Tesla and Chevrolet, understand that ‘range anxiety’ is the greatest hindrance to the adoption of electric vehicles. In order to meet the expectations of drivers, Tesla and Chevrolet have focused their efforts towards ensuring that their models range can exceed 200 miles on a fully charged battery.

Juniper Research also ranked the top 5 electric vehicle manufacturers, scoring them on five key factors: Vehicle range, Vehicle sales; Infrastructure implementation; Time spent in development and deployment; Future plans and innovation. Tesla was the top ranked global manufacturer, followed by BMW, Nissan, Chevrolet and Ford.

The research found that Tesla, as an OEM solely manufacturing electric vehicles, scored highly with strong sales, superior mileage range and firm commitment to their Tesla Supercharge scheme. Whilst BMW and Nissan both had high sales the research found that their electric vehicle capabilities lag behind Tesla.

The study recommended that OEMs invest in campaigns to communicate the capabilities and benefits of electric vehicles in order for them to be viewed as a real alternative to combustion engines.