Fuel cell cars and other electric vehicles will make up 40 per cent of the world's auto market by 2050, according to oil giant Royal Dutch Shell

The prediction from Peter Voser, chief executive of the world's second-biggest oil producer, is a much more upbeat forecast for fuel cell vehicles than other oil firms, Reuters reports.

BP believes electric vehicles and plug-in hybrids will make up only four per cent of the global fleet of 1.6 billion commercial and passenger vehicles in 2030, the news provider notes.

Exxon Mobil, the world's largest oil firm, says electric vehicles, plug-in hybrids and vehicles that run on natural gas would make up only five per cent of the total global fleet by 2040.

According to BP, the efficiency of combustion engines will double by 2030, with a third of vehicles on the road being hybrids, Reuters reports.

However, the pessimistic predictions coming from at least two of the main oil firms is hardly a surprise, according to Jos Dings, director of Brussels-based sustainable transport campaign group, Transport and Environment.

"A big take-up of electric cars is not something they would like to see," he told the news agency. "The future for petrol and diesel doesn't look good,"

It also seems the predictions from Exxon and BP are out-of-touch with national governments, which are promoting fuel cell and other green technologies.

Reuters says China is targeting five million electric vehicles on its roads by 2020, while Australia believes electric vehicles will make up a fifth of new car sales by 2020 and 45 per cent ten years later.

Barack Obama is aiming for one million electric vehicles on US roads by 2015, though this is only 0.5 per cent of the nation's car fleet.

The UK's Committee on Climate Change predicts electric vehicles will reach 60 percent of new cars and vans by 2030.

Meanwhile, the UK government has launched a new scheme backed by the auto industry and Johnson Matthey that will drive forward the development of fuel cell cars.

UK H2 Mobility, which is being supported by Toyota, General Motors, Daimler and Hyundai, will produce a plan of action to make fuel cell vehicles commercially available on a large scale by 2015.

Sources:

Insight: Oil industry sees no threat from electric car (01/02/12)

New Government and cross industry programme to make hydrogen powered travel in the UK a reality (18/01/12)
 

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