In my article “12 Factors That Will Limit Chevy Bolt Sales In The US (Part 2),” I outlined a number of image and perception problems — including design, brand, and positioning issues — that would limit Bolt sales among early adopters, especially in key green-leaning West Coast and East Coast markets of the US.
The Chevrolet Bolt is off to a respectable start in terms of US sales, but will it become America’s top-selling green car? In “12 Factors That Will Limit Chevy Bolt Sales In The US (Part 1),” I offered up the first 6 factors that will unfortunately limit the Bolt’s sales, preventing it from coming close to those achieved by the Toyota Prius at its height of popularity. In this article, I close out my case with 6 more factors.
By most measures, the Chevy Bolt is a breakthrough electric vehicle and may become the best-selling pure electric car in the US in 2017. And for that likely achievement, GM should be applauded. But I have to ask: “What if?”
The Chevrolet Bolt is an impressive car and in several ways a breakthrough electric vehicle (EV). So why aren’t Bolts flying off dealer lots and shattering EV sales records as many industry observers had expected?
“Without these (federal and state tax) credits, this (electric vehicle) market is likely to crash.” This is the prognostication in a new report from Edmunds, the car information company.
Ouch.
While the report has some great data and analysis, especially regarding the boom and bust electric vehicle (EV) sales situation that occurred in the US state of Georgia, the ultimate conclusion just gets it wrong.
Many electric vehicle advocates like to chastise American auto buyers for their love of pickup trucks, SUVs, and crossovers, but like it or not, the growing popularity of these model types has significant implications for the future adoption of electric vehicles.
According to an article on CNBC, UBS analyst Colin Langan predicts that “Tesla will have to invest up to an additional $8 billion in its network of high-speed charging stations in the U.S. alone if it wants to make recharging a car as convenient as filling the gas tank.”
One of the most frequent questions you see these days in electric vehicle forums, blog comments, Facebook groups, and here on CleanTechnica is some variation of the following:
“I reserved my Tesla Model 3 on (fill the date), will I still be eligible for the $7,500 federal tax credit when my car becomes available?”
Remember a few short years ago when the hot debate was whether cars in the future would be predominantly powered by fuel cells versus batteries? And even more fundamentally, if electric vehicles would ever move beyond the niche “green” and luxury-performance buying market? My how sentiment seems to have changed recently.
