EV.com: Not unlike most people in the USA I have seen some of the following headlines & quotes from mass media outlets over the last few years:
According to FOX News, CNN and the New York Times people in the USA don’t want EVs.
Soft Sales Crimp Outlook for Electric Cars
“Many auto executives were not that enthusiastic about battery-powered cars at their outset, and now that sales of electric vehicles made by Tesla and Renault have been disappointing, some carmakers are playing down the technology.”
[Jack Ewing New York Times September 30, 2012]
GM: Producing Cars (And Losses) Nobody Wants
(Chevy Volt) a car that loses money and that few want
[John Layfield FOXBusiness September 10, 2012]
Monica Crowley said: “You know how many Chevy Volts they’ve sold? Like three because nobody, a) wants to drive a toaster oven for a car. Secondly, we don’t have the infrastructure in this country yet to support mass electric cars.” [Fox News, The O'Reilly Factor, 11/22/11]
Eric Bolling said on Fox News that “The only Volts sold are to the government.” Co-host Greg Gutfled added that the federal tax credit for purchasing EVs is “like forcing Americans to buy broccoli flavored ice cream.” [Fox News, The Five, 8/4/11]
“Despite all the advertising and the celebrities saying it’s cool to drive these cars, we looked at the numbers, and it just doesn’t seem to be the truth. GM has sold 5,000 Volts. Nissan, 8,000 Leafs, less than one percent of those companies’ total sales.” [CNN, Erin Burnett Out Front, 11/11/11]
Opinions are always good to hear, but what are the real numbers? How do EV sales compare to Hybrid vehicles?
The first year that the Chevy Volt and the Nissan LEAF were available was during a recession year (2011) and 17,345 were sold. When comparing first year sales of hybrids 9,350 Toyota Prii and Honda Insights were sold in the US in 2000. One could say that in their first year EVs are almost twice as popular as hybrids when they were introduced, and hybrids had better economic conditions which should have made it easier to have sales. One could use the 1999 figure for hybrid sales, Honda only sold 17 hybrids in that first calendar year, which would make EVs many times more popular, but that is an unfair comparison.
Also what some media are failing to mention in particular about the Chevy Volt, Nissan LEAF, or Tesla EVs is that these vehicles are just now coming online and are not yet being produced in large numbers. ICE vehicles have a hundred years worth of experience and car factories built which produced 80+ million fossil fuel burning cars in 2012, Hybrids have only been out since 1999-2000 (just over ten years) and are just now reaching the #1 sales position in Japan and California. The first mass produced EV, aka Nissan LEAF has only been rolling off the assembly line since December of 2010.
In 2012 the number of EVs sold (53,000) is three times more than the previous year, most anyone would say that hints at a major success or huge increase in interest. If current EV sales trends continue 2013 will more than double the previous year.
At the very least it is hard to deny that EV sales are growing at more than a healthy rate, despite what has been presented numerous times in the media.
This fact is even more enlightening since most of the major auto manufacturers are really only trying to sell the minimum number of ZEV compliance cars required so that they can continue to sell their more profitable fossil fuel burning vehicles.
According to FOX News, CNN and the New York Times people in the USA don’t want EVs.
Soft Sales Crimp Outlook for Electric Cars
“Many auto executives were not that enthusiastic about battery-powered cars at their outset, and now that sales of electric vehicles made by Tesla and Renault have been disappointing, some carmakers are playing down the technology.”
[Jack Ewing New York Times September 30, 2012]
GM: Producing Cars (And Losses) Nobody Wants
(Chevy Volt) a car that loses money and that few want
[John Layfield FOXBusiness September 10, 2012]
Monica Crowley said: “You know how many Chevy Volts they’ve sold? Like three because nobody, a) wants to drive a toaster oven for a car. Secondly, we don’t have the infrastructure in this country yet to support mass electric cars.” [Fox News, The O'Reilly Factor, 11/22/11]
Eric Bolling said on Fox News that “The only Volts sold are to the government.” Co-host Greg Gutfled added that the federal tax credit for purchasing EVs is “like forcing Americans to buy broccoli flavored ice cream.” [Fox News, The Five, 8/4/11]
“Despite all the advertising and the celebrities saying it’s cool to drive these cars, we looked at the numbers, and it just doesn’t seem to be the truth. GM has sold 5,000 Volts. Nissan, 8,000 Leafs, less than one percent of those companies’ total sales.” [CNN, Erin Burnett Out Front, 11/11/11]
Opinions are always good to hear, but what are the real numbers? How do EV sales compare to Hybrid vehicles?
The first year that the Chevy Volt and the Nissan LEAF were available was during a recession year (2011) and 17,345 were sold. When comparing first year sales of hybrids 9,350 Toyota Prii and Honda Insights were sold in the US in 2000. One could say that in their first year EVs are almost twice as popular as hybrids when they were introduced, and hybrids had better economic conditions which should have made it easier to have sales. One could use the 1999 figure for hybrid sales, Honda only sold 17 hybrids in that first calendar year, which would make EVs many times more popular, but that is an unfair comparison.
Also what some media are failing to mention in particular about the Chevy Volt, Nissan LEAF, or Tesla EVs is that these vehicles are just now coming online and are not yet being produced in large numbers. ICE vehicles have a hundred years worth of experience and car factories built which produced 80+ million fossil fuel burning cars in 2012, Hybrids have only been out since 1999-2000 (just over ten years) and are just now reaching the #1 sales position in Japan and California. The first mass produced EV, aka Nissan LEAF has only been rolling off the assembly line since December of 2010.
In 2012 the number of EVs sold (53,000) is three times more than the previous year, most anyone would say that hints at a major success or huge increase in interest. If current EV sales trends continue 2013 will more than double the previous year.
At the very least it is hard to deny that EV sales are growing at more than a healthy rate, despite what has been presented numerous times in the media.
This fact is even more enlightening since most of the major auto manufacturers are really only trying to sell the minimum number of ZEV compliance cars required so that they can continue to sell their more profitable fossil fuel burning vehicles.
