The number of electric cars in the world has doubled since this time a year ago, according to the International Energy Agency. That’s the good news. The not so good news is that electric cars still only account for 0.2% of all the cars in the world. The rest are conventional vehicles that flit along the highways and byways of the world, spewing who knows what out of their tail pipes.
The Shelsley Walsh Speed Hill Climb club dates back to 1901. It was established in the time of Queen Victoria at The Grand Hotel in Birmingham by members of the early motor industry. The club is considered by most as the oldest motor sports club in the world.
I’ve met quite a few EV drivers in the past year and a half. Invariably, the EV drivers always reflect my contentment, satisfaction, and wonderment with EVs. How is it that not every car on the road is electric? The Nissan LEAF I drive is so sublime and comfortable. How is it that everyone does not drive this EV or something similar?
The newest edition of the Nissan X-Trail, now available in Japan, features the company’s very interesting-sounding ProPILOT semi autonomous driving tech — as an option.
In an interesting bit of news, it’s been revealed that the 2018 Buick LaCrosse will feature the firm’s eAssist mild-hybrid (light-electrification) system as standard when it goes on sale this autumn. This system will reportedly (when coupled with the 4-cylinder engine option) result in a 19% increase to city fuel economy (as compared to the V6) — as a result of the 86V lithium-ion battery pack allowing for effective regenerative braking.
The extremely active London Heathrow International Airport, Britain’s largest bustling airport, has chosen the always roomy Nissan LEAF as part of its plans to inspire a new culture of electric car usage across its site.
The battle for the top electric vehicle sales title is underway between Toyota’s Prius Prime and GM’s Chevrolet Volt and Bolt.
As I noted last month, due to Tesla’s higher and higher production rates and little insight into where those cars are shipped, we’ve decided to stop estimating Tesla’s US sales/deliveries. That said, generally speaking, we expect that Tesla ships approximately 2,000–3,000 Model S and Model X each (so, 4,000–6,000 combined) to US customers. So, more likely than not, the Model S and Model X are the highest-selling electric cars in the United States.
Following up on the Tesla Model 3 vs Audi A3, Audi A4, Audi A5, Audi S3 fun, let’s dive into another lineup of premium-class sedans and hybrids that the Tesla Model 3 will compete against.
Doing things a bit differently this time, let’s jump into Lexus sales first. Sales of these 4 Lexus models added up to 119,369 in the US in 2016, about 55,000 more than the Audi A3, A4, and A5 combined (74,579). Combining all of these models, we’re up to nearly 200,000 premium sedan sales the Tesla Model 3 could steal some serious revenue from.
Audi has not been at the forefront of vehicle electrification so far, but it is moving towards the future with solid electric vehicle projections.
