There is a growing awareness of the urgent need to turn political statements and analytical work into concrete action. To address these challenges, the International Energy Agency (IEA), at the request of the G8, is developing a series of roadmaps for some of the most important technologies needed for achieving a global energy-related CO2 target in 2050 of 50% below current levels. Each roadmap develops a growth path for the covered technologies from today to 2050, and identifies technology, financing, policy and public engagement milestones that need to be achieved to realise the technology's full potential. These roadmaps also include special focus on technology development and diffusion to emerging economies, to help foster the international collaboration that is critical to achieving global GHG emissions reduction. The Electric and Plug-in Hybrid Vehicle (EV/PHEV) Roadmap for the first time identifies a detailed scenario for the evolution of these types of vehicles and their market penetration, from annual production of a few thousand to over 100 million vehicles by 2050. It finds that the next decade is a key "make or break" period for EVs and PHEVs: governments, the automobile industry, electric utilities and other stakeholders must work together to roll out vehicles and infrastructure in a coordinated fashion, and ensure that the rapidly growing consumer market is ready to purchase them. The roadmap concludes with a set of nearterm actions that stakeholders will need to take to achieve the roadmap's vision. It is the IEA's hope that this roadmap provides additional focus and urgency to the international discussions about the importance of electric-drive vehicles as a technology solution.