Plug-In (PHEVs) and battery electric vehicles (BEVs) had a good year in 2016, while sales of hybrids, like the original Prius, continued to fall until the last quarter.
|
US Sales of Electric Vehicles, Including HEVs 2016 |
|||||
|
Month |
Hybrid (HEVs) |
PHEVs&Extended Range Vehicles |
Battery (BEVs) |
Totals |
Total PHEV & BEV |
| January |
20,967 |
3,137 |
3,576 |
27,680 |
6,713 |
| February |
24,371 |
3,909 |
4,424 |
32,704 |
8,333 |
| March
|
28,756 |
5,290 |
7,815 |
41,861 |
13,105 |
| Total 1Q 2016 |
74,094 |
12,336 |
15,815 |
102,245 |
28,151 |
| Total 1Q 2015 |
86,005 |
7,722 |
14,127 |
107,854 |
21,849 |
| % change
|
-16% |
37% |
11% |
-5% |
22% |
| April |
28,988 |
5,842 |
6,266 |
41,096 |
12,108 |
| May |
30,573 |
5,619 |
6,526 |
42,718 |
12,145 |
| June
|
27,679 |
6,094 |
7,678 |
41,451 |
13,772 |
| Total 2Q 2016 |
87,240 |
17,555 |
20,470 |
125,265 |
38,025 |
| Total 2Q 2015 |
104,965 |
10,787 |
20,069 |
135,821 |
30,856 |
| % 2Q change
|
-17% |
63% |
2% |
-8% |
23% |
| July |
32,633 |
6,525 |
7,762 |
46,920 |
14,287 |
| August |
32,206 |
6,372 |
8,601 |
47,179 |
14,973 |
| September
|
31,286 |
6,037 |
10,032 |
47,355 |
16,069 |
| Total 3Q 2016 |
96,125 |
18,934 |
26,395 |
141,454 |
45,329 |
| Total 3Q 2015 |
105,405 |
10,660 |
17,071 |
133,136 |
27,731 |
| % 3Q change
|
-8.8% |
77.6% |
54.6% |
6.2% |
63.5% |
| October |
26,484 |
5,943 |
4,864 |
37,291 |
10,807 |
| November |
28,498 |
7,858 |
6,266 |
42,622 |
14,124 |
| December
|
34,507 |
10,211 |
13,077 |
57,795 |
23,288 |
| Total 4Q 2016 |
89,489 |
24,012 |
24,207 |
137,708 |
48,219 |
| Total 4Q 2015 |
88,029 |
13,789 |
19,797 |
121,615 |
33,586 |
| % 4Q change
|
1.7% |
74.1% |
22.3% |
13.2% |
43.6% |
| YTD Year 2016 |
346,948 |
72,837 |
86,887 |
506,672 |
159,724 |
| YTD Year 2015 |
384,404 |
42,958 |
50,995 |
498,426 |
114,022 |
| % change |
-9.7% |
69.6% |
70.4% |
1.7% |
40.1% |
| Total sales all light vehicles 2016 |
17,396,291 |
||||
| % PHEV & BEV to total |
0.92% |
||||
(Data from Electric Drive Transportation Association)
Sales of both PHEVs and BEVs grew at the same rate during 2016.
Sales of PHEVs and BEVs remained minuscule, at less than 1%, when compared with total light vehicle sales.
The media hype for BEVs continues, but sales remain so small that they must be considered cars for the rich and famous. While sales increased by 70% year over year, they amounted to fewer than 100,000 vehicles.
Total sales of BEVs from 2011, essentially when they entered the market, through 2016 were still only 292,992 vehicles. This is far short of Obama’s prediction of 1,000,000 BEVs by the end of 2015.
The business model for BEVs is highly questionable, with Tesla, for example, having received much of its income from the sale of California Zero Emission Credits amounting to over $390,000,000.
There is also the question of whether the federal government will continue to allow a $7,500 subsidy for BEVs.
The introduction of the Bolt by GM, and Tesla’s Model 3, priced at $35,000, and currently still eligible for the $7,500 tax credit, could determine whether battery-powered vehicles go mainstream.
BEVs have four important impediments.
- Insufficient range, compared with ICE vehicles
- The high cost of batteries, which results in the high cost of BEVs
- The lack of charging stations
- Time required to charge batteries
PHEVs eliminate range anxiety, and partially reduce the cost penalty for the battery.
The real issue is whether BEVs and PHEVs can become a replacement for internal combustion engine (ICE) powered vehicles, without subsidies and EPA fuel mandates for gasoline powered vehicles.
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