The international share of car sales commanded by electric vehicles doubled last year, according to a new report from ResearchAndMarkets.com, which said their penetration climbed from 4.4% to 8.8% globally.

In the U.S., there were 608,000 sales of electric vehicles last year, up from 308,000 the year before, according to the U.S. Department of Energy.

This type of growth arguably necessitates — and perhaps is also spurred by — consumer outreach by the auto industry itself.

Among recent moves in that regard, Chase, which has financed EVs for four years and has deals in place finance EVs from Rivian and Fisker, announced the launch of its Electric Vehicle Education Center this week.

The website aims to not only educate consumers about EVs, but help them find and purchase electric and hybrid cars. 

The center provides information on EV ownership costs, charging, battery range and maintenance, and is designed to serve consumers, dealers, OEMs and employees.

“The electric vehicle movement is here, and our customers are excited about all the options out there,” said Jamie Jones, Chase’s general manager of luxury & electric brands, in a news release.

“Chase is committed to bringing another valuable resource to consumers through the launch of this Education Center,” Jones said. “We’re here to provide them with the information, tools and financing to get them into a hybrid or electric vehicle they’ll love.”      

Elsewhere, Octopus Energy U.S., a renewable energy retailer, said Wednesday it has debuted a new business unit, Octopus Electric Vehicles, to “accelerate accessibility and adoption of EVs and smart charging.”

The division’s first launch is EV Concierge, which it describes as an “integrated demand response EV leasing plan.”

Customers will be able to lease EVs through the program and also integrate smart charging and billing into their existing energy plans through Octopus.

The EV Concierge program is beta testing in Texas, and customers can apply to participate at octoev.us.

Qualifying customers will be provided guidance through the EV search and leasing process, along with vehicle delivery, EV home charger installation and education on EV ownership.

“Interest in electric vehicles is at an all-time high. With Texas as the third-largest market for EVs, and a global leader in energy, we will be positioned to help customers realize vehicle and energy savings all on one bill,” said Chris George, director of U.S. Octopus Electric Vehicles, in a news release.

“As fossil fuel continues to be impacted by inflation, it's never made more sense to get an EV paired with smart charging to extract the lowest priced energy from the grid,” George said. “EV Concierge will ensure that new EVs enter our state optimized to create a more reliable, clean and affordable energy system.”