It’s official: US plug-in sales are in the doldrums. July sales of 8,951 were substantially down from June (10,364), and from July 2014 (11,242). While we’re waiting for the 2016 LEAF and next generation Volt to get things moving again in the fall, we’ll console ourselves with the news that even as US sales have stalled, worldwide… Read more »
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The 2016 Volvo XC90 T8 Twin Engine PHEV enters the US market with great promise
These days when most Americans think of Swedish engineering, they probably remember a frustrating experience with an Allen wrench and one too few pieces of particle board. But we didn’t always buy our Swedish creations under the same roof as our Swedish meatballs. Any American old enough to drink remembers a friend whose parents drove… Read more »
May plug-in sales: Tesla, LEAF and Volt back in the top 3, overall sales mediocre
The traditional running order reasserted itself in May, as the Model S, LEAF and Volt slid back into the top three spots. While plug-in sales were up substantially over April, they failed to best the May 2014 numbers. The Tesla Model S grabbed the lead with 2,400 estimated US sales. Deliveries of the D are… Read more »
Daimler joins Tesla in the energy storage market
Another entrant has joined the suddenly trendy market for stationary energy storage. Daimler’s wholly-owned subsidiary Deutsche ACCUmotive has announced plans to sell energy storage systems to both residential and commercial customers. ACCUmotive’s lithium-ion battery modules have an energy capacity of 2.5 kWh for the residential model, and 5.9 kWh for the industrial version. Up to… Read more »
European plug-in sales soar
The EV market in Europe got off to a late start, but now that European automakers such as BMW, Volkswagen, Mercedes and Audi have introduced plug-in models, things are starting to move quickly. Registrations of new electric vehicles (including BEVs, PHEVs and FCVs) in the EU countries grew from 11,304 units in Q1 2014 to 24,630… Read more »
Daimler develops EV program for Stuttgart driving schools
The main factor holding back the electromobility revolution may be a simple lack of familiarity, and Daimler has come up with a brilliant idea to change that. The German automaker has partnered with the ACADEMY chain of driving schools for a pilot project that aims to make EVs an integral part of driver training. Starting… Read more »
Georgia reverses policy on EVs, eliminating tax credit and imposing yearly fee
As expected, last week Georgia’s legislature passed a highway funding bill that not only eliminates the state’s $5,000 tax credit for EV purchases (effective July 1), but imposes a yearly user fee – $200 for personal vehicles and $300 for commercial EVs. Other states have introduced, or are considering, fees for EV drivers, but Georgia’s… Read more »
A123 shifts focus to starter batteries
Since battery-maker A123 was acquired by China’s Wanxiang Group, it has shifted its focus to concentrate on starter batteries, and has big plans to produce batteries for microhybrids, aka start-stop systems. A quarter of the company’s revenue still comes from EV battery packs – its factory in Hangzhou is running at full capacity to supply… Read more »
February plug-in sales slow overall, but BMW i3 powers ahead
There are plenty of legitimate excuses: winter is always the slow season for auto sales; a couple of key vehicles are in rundown mode as buyers wait for a new and improved model; and, although logic tells us they shouldn’t, ultralow gas prices may be taking a bite out of demand for plug-ins. Be all… Read more »
Plug-in sales drop with the temperature – LEAF fails to set new record, Volt buyers wait for the new model
January has always been a slow month for EV sales, and this month didn’t fail to disappoint. Monthly sales of 5,924 barely bested last January’s figure. A new generation of vastly-improved plug-ins is in sight, so a lot of buyers may be opting to wait a bit, and those rock-bottom gas prices probably aren’t helping…. Read more »