Nissan Leaf & Chevy Volt Sales Up

Posted on March 3, 2013 by Zachary Shahan

This article was originally published on EV Obsession.

Chevy Volt via Chevrolet

While there are now about a dozen plug-in electric vehicles (PEV) on the market in the U.S., the Chevy Volt and Nissan Leaf are still the clear leaders in sales. They are also sort of like the Brad Pitt and Jennifer Aniston of EVs — they’re celebrities in the EV world, and we read and write about every detail of their lives and development, and they’re looked to for guidance on how PEV sales are going in general. We again have monthly sales records for ~~Brad~~ and ~~Jennifer~~… I mean, the Volt and Leaf.

The Volt’s sales in February continued to surpass those from a year ago — by a good margin. For example, in February 2013, 1,626 Volts were sold, about 59% more than the 1,023 Volts that were sold in February 2012.

Nissan Leaf via Nissan

653 Nissan Leafs were sold in February 2013 (very similar to the January figure of 650). In comparison, 478 Leafs were sold in February 2012. So, 2013 February sales are about 37% higher than last year’s. Nissan Leaf production is increasing at Nissan’s factory Smyrna, TN, so we can expect that number to climb as long as demand continues to climb (and why wouldn’t it).

With the price of the Leaf dropping from $35,200 MSRP to $28,800 MSRP this year, as well as performance improvements (i.e. longer range, better coefficient of drag, improved regenerative brakes, and other improvements), sales of the Leaf are expected to pick up quite a bit. We’ll see.

For more on EV sales in general, also see:

Zachary Shahan (2291 Posts)

I'm the director of CleanTechnica, the most popular clean energy website in the world, and Planetsave, a leading green and science news site. I've been covering green news of various sorts since 2008, and I've been especially focused on solar energy, electric vehicles, bicycling, and wind energy for the past few years. You can also find my work on Scientific American, Reuters, Think Progress, GE's ecomagination site, several sites in the Important Media network, & many other places. To connect on your favorite social network, go to: zacharyshahan.com

http://www.facebook.com/JZ750273 Mark Higley

I own a Nissan Leaf and I love it. We live in Leavenworth
Kansas and drive back and forth to Kansas City on a regular basis. I have never
ran out of charge. I pay 6 cents a kwh
for electricity and it costs $1.46 to “fill up” my car. There are over 50
charging stations in Kansas City and most are free. I have never paid more than
$21 for electricity in a single month. I drive the car about 1200 miles a
month. I pay $178 a month for my lease. I was
paying over $300 a month for gas in my Dodge Durango. I will never replace an
air filter, oil and filter, muffler, spark plugs, alternator; clutch; fuel
filter; fuel injectors and pump; motor mounts; O2 sensors; power steering fluid
; radiator and assorted pipework; serpentine belt; spark plug wires; starter
motor; thermostat; timing belt; transmission or anything to do with regular
transmissions (adjustment, fluids, filters) and a water pump again.

My Leaf is very fast and I can beat most gas cars off the
line at stop lights. It has the power to zip into traffic from on ramps to
highways with ease. The power and torque is immediate with an electric motor.

While driving the Leaf, I do not support terrorists (like
the ones from Saudi Arabia that attacked us on 9/11). I support my Country by
using totally American energy. My car
can run on wind, coal, hydroelectric, solar, nuclear etc. A gas car will only
and always run on gas. I am supporting
American workers because the Leaf and its’ batteries are built here in America
at the Nissan plant in Smyrna Tennessee.

I love the way the car drives, how quiet it is, how much
room it has inside and the feeling of freedom I get by knowing that I am not
tied to a pump and a slave to oil companies. The car has every tech gadget I
could ever want including back up camera, GPS, XM radio, blue tooth and voice
recognition. The car can even text me if I forget to plug it in at a certain
time or when it is done charging. It also honks the horn if I put too much air
in the tires.

These cars are getting better and more affordable every
year. More and more charging stations are being installed daily. Home charging
stations are getting cheaper as well and can be purchased at Home Depot and
other such stores.

Do your own research and most importantly, go test drive an electric car
and see if it works for you. It might not but if it does you will be a very
happy camper. Speaking of camping, you can also plug an electric car in at RV
sites
RedFoxGreenOwl

Every month the Volt has sold more than the same month in the year before it. That’s an upward trend, period.
http://xeeme.com/MrEnergyCzar MrEnergyCzar

Less and less American’s are against American made and American fueled Volts…

MrEnergyCzar
owlafaye

The air driven car (Citroen/Peugeot) attains far in excess of 80 mpg and is very low on emissions doing it. Initial cost is going to be much lower than that of our highest mileage hybrids…..something to think about.

Here comes the air car…late 2013 it should be on the market.

Batteries 100% better than what is offered today will make all electric vehicles a lot more attractive. At present the Leaf is job specific and definitely a second car.

The VOLT? Still wayyy overpriced for ANY market.
- http://twitter.com/treefrog2 treefrog2
  
  The BMW, Volvo, Audi, Buick… are all way overpriced for any market too.
  
  If you were to get a loan for 100% of a high end Buick Regal and a Volt, the total monthly cost for the Volt is less than the Buick from the very first month. And that’s before government subsidies. Adding the subsidy only sweetens the deal a bunch. I’m assuming you drive like us (about a 44 mile round trip commute) and figuring in the savings per month by using electricity vs gas.
  - ow lafaye
    
    Your 44 mile commute makes you a candidate for a VOLT…but comparing VOLT to a mid priced luxury car doesn’t make sense. It can’t carry anything to the comparison, especially size.
    With your 44 mile commute, 10 years from now you will still be out of pocket. VOLT’s initial cost will never catch up to zero $…its a loser, always has been. But heyyyyy, if you have to buy some bling for your image, go right ahead.
    - VoltOwner
      
      Exactly what cars “catch up to zero $”? Are you saying that the BMW 7 Series, after a certain number of years, becomes a zero cost option?
      
      The misinformation and misunderstanding about the Volt is astounding. I am not a conspiracy theorist, but the uniformed, factually incorrect negative posts I constantly see about the Volt can only mean a concerted negative PR campaign against the Volt. Wouldn’t be surprised if the Koch brothers are involved (as they are against anything that would reduce our dependence on oil). They are willing to spend 100s of millions to protect their billions.
      - VoltOwner
        
        I should have written “zero cost proposition”, not “option”, above.
        
        Further, here are some economics on my Volt:
        
        Price: $40,000
        
        Federal Rebate: $7,500
        
        State Rebate (IL): $4,000
        
        Total Price Paid After Rebate: $28,500
        
        Fuel Saved Each Year (Based on 14,000 miles/25 mpg; $4/gallon): $2,040
        
        Years of Expected Ownership: 6
        
        Total Gas Savings: $12,240
        
        Electricity cost: ($.055/kWh): $1,080
        
        Net Energy Savings: $11,160
        
        Total Cost of Ownership: $17,340, for a car that rides, handles and accelerates like a BMW 3 Series.
        
        Additional Savings: Maybe 1 oil change in 6 years. (Still have 84% oil life after 21,000 miles driven), Filters, etc. As for brakes, I downshift more than I brake (for additional energy recapture), so I probably won’t have to replace those.
dixiedrifter

Looks like the Volt will be a runaway success for Government Motors this year. With this level of sales, every investor will attempt to buy shares of this bloated, overvalued government managed dinosaur. As our Country continues to be mired with an unrelenting economic stranglehold, Volt sales will remain mediocre at best.
- http://www.facebook.com/people/Richard-Joash-Tan/100000351085371 Richard Joash Tan
  
  and you are a bullshit
  - owlafaye
    
    No Rachard Tan, he is correct. It is priced beyond the market it addresses.
- Bob_Wallace
  
  See, children, this is why we warn you to not get your information from Fox. It leads you to posting stupid stuff.
  
  Poor dixie doesn’t realize that the federal government never managed GM. And she doesn’t even know what people pay for new cars in the US, on average.