While people have been charging at Electrify America sites for months in the eastern portions of the US, the Southwest deserts have been among the last places to get a station. I recently had my first chance to use one in Deming, New Mexico. I was very impressed with the station, but there’s definitely room for improvement when it comes to paying for a charge.
If you’re willing to plan ahead, take a little extra time, and enjoy the journey as much as the destination, there’s no reason to leave your EV at home.
The Swiss plug-in electric vehicle (PEV) market smashed its previous sales record (1,341 registrations) last month by registering 2,162 vehicles. That meant that the PEV share jumped to 7.5% (6.4% from fully electric vehicles and 1.1% from plug-in hybrids), pulling the 2019 PEV share to 5.3% and thus almost doubling last year’s result.
Last month, fully electric vehicles saw their registrations double year over year (YoY), pushing the overall market up +28% despite sales of every other powertrain type dropping at least 20%, which led to record fully electric vehicle (58%) and overall plug-in vehicle (69%) shares. As you already know, Tesla Model 3 deliveries went through the roof in March, with the model achieving 5,315 registrations, a new all-time record for any nameplate in Norway, whatever the fuel source.
The French plug-in electric vehicle (PEV) market recorded 6,136 registrations in March, up 14% year over year (YoY). A big portion of this growth came from the Tesla Model 3, which had 1,153 deliveries last month, the best result ever for a nameplate not called “Renault Zoe.”
Looking at pure electric vehicle sales in the United States, there’s one clear takeaway — the Tesla Model 3 dominates.
With all the hype Big Auto generates with press releases and concept cars, you’d think its dealerships would be flooded with electric vehicles by now. Unfortunately, that’s not the case. But slowly, ever so slowly, new EVs are being introduced. How do they compare with Tesla vehicles? That’s always the first question on everyone’s lips.
After the December delivery peak, the Dutch plug-in electric vehicle (PEV) market had another sales surge last month, with 4,721 plug-in registrations, up 252% year over year (YoY). That translates into a PEV share of 12% in March, and pulls the year-to-date count to 10,424 units (+224%), with the 2019 PEV share now at 9%. If we only consider fully electric vehicles (BEVs), the EV share in March was 10% and in the first quarter was 7.4%.
As EVs continue to go mainstream, we are starting to see the various facets of larger car culture embrace them. In the world of Japanese cars, enthusiasts like body kits, or aftermarket body parts that change the look and possibly the performance of the car. Well known body kit maker Kuhl Racing just released an aggressive and audacious kit for the second-generation Nissan LEAF.
The big news in February’s top positions was of course the Tesla Model 3 landing with a bang, and jumping right up to the leadership position, but unlike what has happened (and is happening) in the USA, the blackhole effect of the Tesla Model 3 is not absorbing sales from other BEVs (well, maybe the Model S is the exception). Instead, it appears the Model 3 is pulling customers directly from competing PHEVs and gas/diesel models.
