10/18/2013

Electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles account for less than half of one percent of the overall car market

Fewer than one out of every 200 cars is either a hybrid or an electric car, with most being hybrids.  With the large subsidies given these cars, these sales are pretty pathetic.  From the Wall Street Journal:
. . . Analysts and industry executives say Tesla, GM, VW and the current global electric vehicle sales leader, Nissan Motor Co., all face the same problem: current electric vehicle batteries are too expensive, and deliver too little usable driving range compared with vehicles powered by internal combustion engines. 
The number of electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles for sale in the U.S. has more than quadrupled to 15 vehicles since 2010 as auto makers roll out new models to comply with government mandates. But sales of electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles account for less than half of one percent of the overall market, despite price cuts, discounted leases and government tax incentives that can add up to as much as $12,500 a vehicle depending on the state. 
GM has sold nearly 15,000 of its battery-powered Chevrolet Volt cars this year through August, aided by incentives and discounts. 
Nissan's approach is to argue that extending the range of electric vehicles to 200 miles isn't worth it because most people don't drive farther in a day than the Nissan Leaf's 75 miles of all-electric range. The Leaf costs $28,800 in the U.S. before federal tax credits.
Tesla is the lone auto maker to offer long-range electric vehicles with its Model S—and Tesla still hasn't shown it can steadily make money selling them. . . . .

Something amusing:

Top Gear: Jeremy drives the Tesla Roadster (series 12, episode 7)


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2 Comments:

Blogger Patrick Sullivan said...

Jeremy Clarkson and the Top Gear crew have done a few very effective take-downs of electric cars recently. Simply by driving them and filming the practical shortcomings.

Supposedly Tesla Motors is suing the BBC for defamation over this one;

http://www.topgear.com/uk/videos/electric-shocker

10/18/2013 12:36 PM  
Blogger John Lott said...

Thank you very much, Patrick.

10/18/2013 1:54 PM  

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