In late 2018,
I would have bet
that U.S. sales
of electric vehicles
( EVs )
would be higher
in 2019, unless
there was
a recession
in 2019.
That bet
would have
lost money !
The Los Angeles Times
reports that total EV
sales were down.
in 2019, despite the
45 new all-electric and
plug-in hybrid models
introduced last year.
325,000 EVs and
plug-in hybrids
were sold across
the nation in 2019,
down 6.8% from
349,000 in 2018.
“The number
of battery-electric
models available
more than doubled
last year,
but EV sales
didn’t budge much.
That’s troubling,”
said the head
of the automotive
practice at
consulting firm
AlixPartners,
Mark Wakefield.
The total range
before a recharge
remains a serious
concern among
consumers.
Gasoline prices
remain low.
Electric vehicles
are more expensive
than their internal
combustion engine
competitors.
Especially with some
of the government’s
generous subsidies
ending for many
of the market’s
best-selling EVs.
U.S. Tesla sales
of their cheaper Model 3
jumped +14% in 2019,
and more than doubled
globally to 300,600.
Many so-called
‘Tesla killers’
hit the market
recently but have
had very low sales.
I have an
above average
interest in cars.
I spot Teslas
all the time
here in Michigan
... but some of the
recently introduced
electric models are
a mystery to me,
due to very low
sales volumes.
2019 Sales - U.S. only
( some models may have been
introduced during 2019 )
Jaguar I-Pace ( 2,594 sales )
Audi e-tron ( 5,369 sales )
Hyundai Kona ( about 3,600 sales )
Kia Niro ( under 1,000 sales )