So much emphasis is being placed on drivers making the switch from combustion power to pure EVs, that few people have noticed that a third player is kicking both their butts. While electric cars still only account for a small percentage of vehicle registrations in the U.S. and the take-up rate is advancing relatively gently, sales of hybrids are booming, while those for combustion cars are falling.
Looking at retail registrations, hybrids, and PHEVs accounted for more than 10 percent of the car market in two of the past three months, data collated by S&P Global Mobility shows. The study’s analysts think that buyers are choosing hybrids as a convenient stepping stone into the market for electrified vehicles. PHEVs, for example, can be treated like an EV most days if you’re only doing short journeys, but don’t come with the range anxiety stress of a real EV because the combustion engine is always there to save the day if you run the battery down.
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