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.

That's below the 3.7% market share for 2013, and it's not likely to grow any before the end of the year.

And that's during an otherwise robust sales season. Total figures for August were higher than any time in the last decade.
The whole automobile market has grown. We're not seeing electric vehicles as part of that growth. - Jessica Caldwell, Edmunds senior analyst

Automakers sold about 1.6 million vehicles in the U.S. in August, an increase of about 3% from August 2013, according to initial industry estimates released Wednesday.

"The whole automobile market has grown," Caldwell said. "We’re not seeing electric vehicles as part of that growth."
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mre30 - 9/4/2014 9:32:30 AM

+1 Boost

In all honesty, I think electric vehicles will be just a novelty for a long time. The superior architecture is really the hybrid model - where the car's primary propulsion system is an electric motor powered by batteries, supplemented by a small fuel-powered engine that can drive the wheels and generate electricity to recharge the batteries.

The plug-in hybrid architecture will be the industry standard soon, as it all but eliminates "range anxiety".

Doukas - 9/4/2014 11:20:24 AM

+1 Boost

I think its about charging stations. From apartment complexes, parking spots at malls,grocery stores & etc including work places. Until you see more places to charge people aren't going to change their primary or only car to be electric only.

mre30 - 9/4/2014 3:51:26 PM

+2 Boost

The only way charging stations will "take-off" is if there is a universal "pricing model" applied and they are wide-spread. Up to now, charging stations have been government subsidized, essentially.

If the private market doesn't step up, then the EV will be limited to the areas (i.e. California and perhaps Georgia) where the govt. gives out cheap charges.

I live in NY State, NYC actually. If the lefty-liberals that run things here won't install charging stations (there are virtually no charging stations here aside from those in people's homes) then the EV-only concept is really doomed. The charging stations are quite expensive to set up and they need to turn a profit, not be a govt giveaway.

vdiv - 9/4/2014 3:04:15 PM

0 Boost

I don't think so. EV sales are growing month over month and year over year. Over 11,800 were sold last month alone in the US. In certain regions, Atlanta being the surprising one plugins are a common sight. This is despite all of the naysayers, the stable gas prices, the lack of variety or availability, the lack of support from the dealership clinging to their "service-oriented" ($80 oil changes) business model, and despite the politicians using EVs as a political punchbag.

https://insideevs.com/bmw-nissan-ford-gm-set-records-pace-august-evs-sales-us-higher/

w222 - 9/4/2014 5:59:48 PM

+2 Boost

Batteries have always been the bottle neck of electric cars. The price is high, the technology is mature yet yielding modest range. While the gigafactory can reduce the cost of batteries, advancement in battery tech is what will change the landscape of electric vehicles. Tesla have been researching using graphene in their batteries. Theoretically that will double the range of their current 250 mile range.

MattDarringer - 9/4/2014 8:07:03 PM

+1 Boost

The greener than thou have bought but sane people are not willing to put up with a car that turns into a paper weight and cannot be recharged as fast as a gasoline or diesel vehicle can be refueled.

Electrics are not viable until they can be recharged as fast as a fill up at the pump.

vdiv - 9/4/2014 11:51:13 PM

0 Boost

EV are recharged while you sleep. You wake up in the morning with a full battery. If you want to go further than the range you can fast charge EVs to 80% in 30-40 minutes. I've waited longer than that for gas at Costco or on the NJ turnpike.