Electric Vehicle Sales Level Off

PF_Flyer

From the LA Times...

Electric vehicle sales are running out of gas

Electric car sales are not charging the marketplace. A new study by online automotive research company Edmunds.com suggests the segment may have run out of gas..

Sales of electric drive vehicles are stuck at about 3.6% of all new car sales for 2014, Edmunds senior analyst Jessica Caldwell said.

I think the concept of a practical EV is a good one, but we're not there on the battery tech side of things just yet. After the early adopters, and those who do find EVs suit their driving needs, who exactly is supposed to be flocking to buy these vehicles? I've test driven a Nissan Leaf. It seems a decent vehicle as far as it goes, but as far as it goes is the issue. The only way one would be practical in our household would be as an extra vehicle to use for short trips. And the expense of an extra vehicle is probably not in a lot of household budgets right now.

Are EVs dead? I don't think so. I think they're here to stay and are or will be an option for some consumers. Will they kill off the internal combustion engine? Right about the same time the Segway replaces cars as our primary mode of getting around

stever

And NM lost out to Nevada for the new battery factory. There was a lot of positive and negative energy floating around this town over those prospects, but they've dimmed now.

PF_Flyer

Resisting the urge to say I got a charge out of that, but resistance is futile

stever

I'm just going to ignore you and meditate, Sneakers.

Ohm, ohm....

zythryn

This is very misleading. Plugin vehicle sales are growing quickly. Hybrid sales are stagnant or loosing ground.
Seeing this research may be helpful, however I can't find it anywhere?

PF_Flyer

You'll see some of the numbers if you read the article linked to, but here's a passage from it that fills in some details...

The slowdown in traditional hybrid sales comes despite the success of the Toyota Prius -- the best-selling car in California last year -- and manufacturers’ continuing efforts to introduce more hybrid models.

Further, it comes during a year in which sales of all cars have been booming. The industry just reported its best August in more than a decade, and it has gained about 5% so far this year compared with the same period last year.

Sales of all electrified cars totaled 408,516 vehicles between January and August, down just a tick from the 408,694 vehicles sold during the same period last year.

Of that total, the bigger percentage gain came in plug-in hybrids, which grew from 28,241 vehicles sold to 40,748. Battery-powered EVs -- with no gas engine at all -- also grew, from 29,917 vehicles sold to 40,349.

So yes, sales of EVs did grow over the time period, but those are less than 1 % of the "electrified vehicle" market, which is just a tick down while car sales in general have been going well.

wheels_r_super

Gas prices go down, Hybrid sales go down. Gas prices go out of site, Hybrid sales go the same way. Where else can I get a mid-size that gets over 40 MPG in grid-lock / Rush Hour traffic?

PF_Flyer

@wheels_r_super said:
Gas prices go down, Hybrid sales go down. Gas prices go out of site, Hybrid sales go the same way. Where else can I get a mid-size that gets over 40 MPG in grid-lock / Rush Hour traffic?

Gas prices are a factor, at least whatever the current direction of the prices are taking.

stever

Did you shop for an EV but ultimately decided not to buy one? A reporter wants to learn more about what went into your decision. If you'd like to help, please contact [email protected] by no later than October 25, 2014.