I have a totally different conclusion from it: U.S. electric car industry is stuck while everyone in the world is rushing to fill the market. Worldwide growth in 2017 was ca. 58%.
US Electric Car Sales Report
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Re: US Electric Car Sales Report
#22I leased a Ford Focus Electric for 2 years before purchasing a used Tesla. After just a few months it became apparent that the Focus was just a compliance car afterthought. Instead of putting a little thought into battery placement, they simply threw it into the hatchback which reduced storage and left little weight in the front of a front wheel drive car. Instead of converting the engine compartment into a frunk, th…
On the flip side, their hybrid offerings (Fusion, Lincoln MKX) feel pretty solid. The smooth drive and handling of my Fusion hybrid feel pretty close to what I imagine a Tesla would (smooth quiet acceleration while on battery, but it also feels just as smooth when the ICE kicks in due to the eCVT [totally different technology than the older belt-driven CVTs]). Oh, and sync has been updated now to not use Microsoft embedded anymore. But the mapping and voice control still sucks bad (I usually use Android Auto, which works like you'd expect in 2018).
But their plugin hybrid version of the Fusion does feel like a minimal effort compliance product, due to the battery taking up too much trunk space (eliminating the possibility of folding down the rear seats for trunk passthrough), and virtually no electric-only range.
Re: US Electric Car Sales Report
#23> large automakers aren’t even trying Despite the Bolt being MT car of the year in 2017, I found it very hard to get a test drive. Some local Chevy dealers pretended not to know about it, which is ludicrous: their business, and maybe their only value as middleman, is to know every vehicle in the catalog forward and backward and then to leap to get me what I ask for. When I pointed out they were sitting on MTCOY the r…
I had the same experience with first Volt I leased. I knew more about the car than the salespeople and they kept trying to sell me something different. Even vehicles that were a lot cheaper.
They were going out of their way to not sell/lease that car I walked in there to get.
That 3 year lease was great and now I own one outright that I bought used with 15,000 miles on it in perfect condition after 1 year...for about $15k. The car is fantastic and while I’m sure the Tesla is nicer, the price point is too good. Car dealers and even used car dealers seem to hate them for some reason.
Maintenance has been easy and sport mode may or may not have resulted in a couple of speeding tickets.
Re: US Electric Car Sales Report
#24There were 50% more BMWs sold this January than all electric cars combined. I have a hard time believing any headstart on sales alone will be representative. Technology, services (including charging) are definitely advantages of pioneers like Tesla by the way, the only non-"big auto" member of the top ev sellers list.
I bought a Tesla primarily for the Supercharger network. Any other EV is DOA if you need to long distance travel in a reasonable amount of time (I do like the Leaf and Bolt, but they are not practical outside of a commuter car). The operating costs are less than half of the Tundra pickup truck it replaced.
That’s why I love the Volt. It’s just tremendously more practical to use electric for the commute but still have access to gas for long trips.
Re: US Electric Car Sales Report
#25I don't think electric car manufacturers are considering the huge amount of the US population that lives in the Midwest/Northeast part of the country.
In the winter the decreased battery life (especially when running the heater) could be a deal breaker for many people. Also, most electric cars being manufactured are compacts, which would do a poor job of handling snowy roads even considering the increased torque of an electric motor.
Re: US Electric Car Sales Report
#26I don't think electric car manufacturers are considering the huge amount of the US population that lives in the Midwest/Northeast part of the country. In the winter the decreased battery life (especially when running the heater) could be a deal breaker for many people. Also, most electric cars being manufactured are compacts, which would do a poor job of handling snowy roads even considering the increased torque of a…
Re: US Electric Car Sales Report
#27I don't think electric car manufacturers are considering the huge amount of the US population that lives in the Midwest/Northeast part of the country. In the winter the decreased battery life (especially when running the heater) could be a deal breaker for many people. Also, most electric cars being manufactured are compacts, which would do a poor job of handling snowy roads even considering the increased torque of a…
That being why I wound up going with a hybrid RAV4 in the Southwest. I really need an awd where I live, but I still want to try to lower my footprint. The local dealership had plenty of inventory and knowledge. (Granted, it’s still an ICE. They’re not losing the service model. Even Toyota’s said they don’t think the BEV will replace the ICE)
Re: US Electric Car Sales Report
#28We own a 2018 Chrysler Pacifica Hybrid (PHEV)
Cost after 7500 tax credit was comparable (slightly higher) than gas only variants with dealer discounts.
Winter mpg(e) was fairly unimpressive, about 24mpg(e) combined. Chrysler programmed (?) the car to run heavy on the gas engine when temperatures drop. There are no settings or overrides like the Volt (my only other PHEV experience)
As it is warming up mpge is climbing up to 34mpge, however we havent owned it for a summer or long enough during the warm season to comment on long term warm mileage. Overall we are satisified. Our utility rates are about 11 cents per kWh. We came from an Odyssey that could barely manage 19mpg around town, so 34+ all the while utilizing cheaper electric rates as fuel makes me happy. We don't drive much highway other than roadtrips. The one we have taken resulted in about 27mpg, which was slightly better than our Odyssey could do, but nothing earth shattering.
Driving in pure electric is interesting and even though the electric motor alone produces nowhere near the horsepower as the V6 it still performs well.
I almost feel sorry for the automakers though in making PHEV vehicles. They are complicated and I assume yield alot of complicated questions at the dealer level. If Tesla made a van, I would have strongly considered it, however the model X didn't meet our needs.
Re: US Electric Car Sales Report
#29> large automakers aren’t even trying Despite the Bolt being MT car of the year in 2017, I found it very hard to get a test drive. Some local Chevy dealers pretended not to know about it, which is ludicrous: their business, and maybe their only value as middleman, is to know every vehicle in the catalog forward and backward and then to leap to get me what I ask for. When I pointed out they were sitting on MTCOY the r…
It might not be accurate to accuse GM dealerships of not wanting to sell Bolts, and don't forget that it's a specialty, low-production vehicle, either way you slice it. Specialty cars are usually handled by one person in a dealership, or only at a bigger dealership in a region. Since everyone else is still motivated to sell cars for their own personal commission, they get greedy and try to convince you they know what's best for you since the specialty salesperson is much more likely getting the sale.
You'll experience the same run-around for custom BTO cars and low production halo models.
Re: US Electric Car Sales Report
#30The only people I know who have an electric car own or have pre-ordered Teslas. They are all status symbols. I don’t know anyone who needs an electric car. Maybe the problem is just as much lack of demand as it is lack of big auto commitment?
I have a plug-in hybrid (Toyota Prius Prime) which may not exactly count (though if the Volt does...), but here in Portland OR I see a huge number of Nissan Leaf-s. They can be bought used for a song, making them an ideal in-town car.