Tesla Still On Top In US Electric Vehicle Sales, GM Close Behind (arstechnica.com)

An anonymous reader quotes a report from Ars Technica: Americans bought more electric vehicles in September than any other month this year. According to Inside EV's monthly sales report, 21,325 battery EVs and plug-in hybrid EVs found homes last month. That's 20 percent more than this time last year and the second highest number ever. 2017 looks like it will be a record year; a total of 159,614 EVs were sold, a figure that should easily be eclipsed by the end of October. Tesla leads the pack, thanks to healthy increases in both Model S and Model X sales this month. Tesla may suffer some good-natured teasing about frequently missed deadlines, but you could set your watch by the regularity of its quarter-ending jump in deliveries. Barring some unforeseen circumstance, the Model S will remain the best-selling EV for the third year running. Like the overall trend, sales for the startup EV maker are up compared to last year, and even if the Model 3 continues to frustrate, we expect it to break the 50,000 car barrier by year-end.

General Motors is the only other company within reach of Tesla, whether we're talking about range or sales volume. The Chevrolet Bolt EV is now on sale in all 50 states and finding traction -- 2,632 sold in September and more than 14,000 on the road in 2017 so far. That still only gets it to fifth overall on the score chart, and there are three months left to go. The Chevy Volt, the Bolt's plug-in hybrid EV stablemate, is still the second-most popular EV among American buyers, but its sales have leveled off for the last few months. Toyota is the only other OEM to make the top five, less than 300 units behind the Volt.

Comments

Lack of conventional styling

[TWX]

When we bought our last new vehicle in 2016 we were willing to consider electrics, but basically there were no four door 100% electrics with conventional styling that had the range we we wanted and the cost we could bear. Ford had a hatchback that had acceptable styling but its range was too low. Tesla's Model S was far too expensive even as a used car. Basically everyone else's styling was stupid, with unnecessary panels that only existed to say, "look at me, I'm an electric!"

I guess I'm in the minority since I like wide, long, low vehicles rather than tall narrow vehicles, but if car makers would offer 100% electric variants of their conventionally-styled combustion-engine models, where styling changes are relatively conservative, we might be more inclined. Weird styling and this one-upsmanship of it is just gaudy.

Volt and system

[DCFusor]

My 2012 Volt integrates nicely with my off-grid solar system. It's never been charged from the grid. No, I don't drive all day every day - it's used to run my errand loop - but in a very rural place (26.5 mi round trip for beer and munchies for example).
While it voids the warranty, I added a 1.5 kw inverter to its 12volt system (which has a 175 amp switcher from the main Li battery) so it can also back up my homestead in times of need (thick snow on the solar panels for example) - even if it has to run its amazingly efficient engine - it's a generator that is able to get to the store to be refilled, and no spilled gas or issues with starting - meant to be in the weather. I've only used it like that once to prove I wired it up right, but it's nice to know it's there.
I'm showing 224 lifetime mpg on the thing as I try and keep my trips in it to the range - which is consistently around 10 miles more than they claimed, at least in summer time. In winter, the heater is a pig...it's about the one time a gasoline car makes sense, as you capture your waste heat to heat the cabin.

EVs have already won here in Norway

[Terje Mathisen]

Last month both VW (e-Golf) and Tesla (S+X) sold more than 2000 EVs here:

https://electrek.co/2017/10/06...

Currently EVs sell more than plug-in hybrids and both of them outsell diesel or gasoline ICE cars.

We are definitely on target for the planned 2025 date when all new vehicles should be either pure EVs or plug-in hybrids with some serious range in battery-only modus.

The reasons are not to hard to explain: Due to Norway's extremely high vehicle taxes which are waived for EVs, a low-end Tesla like my S70D cost far less than any car, of any make, that is capable of similar acceleration. At the high end a Model S P100DL costs just 50% of the starting price (before options) of an Audi R8 Coupe, and that Audi is a second slower from 0 to 100 km/hr.

We also get a reduced road tax, no toll road fees, access to bus lanes, free parking and free public charging. I save 59 NOK (almost USD 8) in toll fees every day just on the morning drive to my office, so my monthly cost (inlcuding appreciation) is actually lower than for my previous car, a Skoda Octavia 4x4 diesel.

Terje