For several years now, I’ve felt both guilt and embarrassment for not driving an EV. I wonder how many other CleanTechnica readers who don’t own an EV yet, who own an ICE (internal combustion engine) car, feel similarly.
As every Tesla driver knows, electric vehicles are more reliable, more convenient, cheaper to operate, safer and more fun to drive than legacy vehicles. However, the most important reason for the transition to electric driving is to reduce the use of polluting petroleum products. As EVs proliferate, consumption of gasoline is expected to fall. It’s still very early days, but that trend is already observable.
I don’t have a ton to write about this, but the visualization below is a must see. Mase Goslin had some free time on his hands, pulled 2012–2019 US EV sales data from InsideEVs, and created the following visualization with the data:
Global sales, growth, and market data for China, the US, and Europe
Small, nimble startups are leading the shift to electric cars, while big U.S. automakers and oil majors are struggling to keep up.
Tesla’s Elon Musk recently tweeted, “Great electric car documentary about early days of Tesla, GM Volt, Nissan Leaf & Gadget. So much has happened since then.” Indeed. With the spotlight shining so brightly on Elon and Tesla, it’s hard to remember how far the man (and the company) have come since the early days. Many of the early struggles surrounding Tesla were captured in this fascinating flick, Revenge of the Electric Car.
Well, it was last month actually, and I didn’t outright purchase a Chevy Bolt EV, I leased one. I test drove the Bolt back in early 2017 when they first started showing up in dealer showrooms and wrote about the experience. You may know that I’m the proud owner of a day 2 reservation for a Tesla Model 3 and have been patiently waiting for the base model car to start shipping.
The cloud of smoke parted and the unassuming lines of a 1981 Honda Accord crept out, as if embarrassed. Flashbacks of childhood pop in. Memories of the reliable family Honda that took us to school and back, to church and the grocery store, to afternoon soccer practices and the occasional road trip. It was the family car.
Afraid to drive an electric car in winter? Don’t be. If people in Saskatchewan can do it, so can you.
The US will see 12% electric vehicle sales growth in 2019 by my estimates, a significant decline from 2018’s year-over-year (YOY) growth of 81%.
