It’s no secret that electric vehicles carry higher sticker prices than comparable legacy vehicles (although it’s debatable whether any gas-burner is truly “comparable” to an EV, especially a Tesla). Of course, as any EV booster will tell you, the difference in purchase price is offset by savings on fuel and maintenance, as well as the various tax breaks and incentives that are available.
A common misconception is that electric cars are more expensive than their internal combustion engine equivalents. When looking at the total cost of ownership, this just isn’t the case. Furthermore, Forbes reports: “Electric vehicles cost less than half as much to operate as their gasoline-powered counterparts, according to a study of fuel costs released Thursday by the University of Michigan.”
In parallel to the increased adoption of plug-in vehicles, innovation is taking root with EV charging points — aka electric vehicle service equipment (EVSE) — as consumers look for options that best serve their new vehicles.
The pace of plug-in vehicle sales continues to ramp up, with 2017 the first year seeing more than 1 million plug-in vehicles sold globally.
Tesla will partner with the government of South Australia to create the world’s largest virtual solar power plant involving rooftop solar installations on 50,000 homes within 4 years. The plan is expected to slash utility bills for residents by 30%.
Looking at the US sales of top electric cars (including plug-in hybrids), one thing stands out in January: Tesla dominates. This is unlikely to change anytime soon. Though, hopefully Nissan LEAF sales surge with the new version and hopefully Bolt, Volt, and Prius Prime sales rise higher than they did by the end of 2017.
Five years ago, electric-powered vehicles began to make an appearance. Nissan and Tesla proceeded along two entirely different approaches to converting buyers from ICE vehicles to electric-powered vehicles. Nissan added the Leaf on top of its ICE vehicle lineup and Tesla was all in with its electric Model S. Other legacy manufacturers added small numbers of electric compliance cars to meet state requirements. Where is the free pass?
The top 30 CleanTechnica stories of January … er, top 32 … are below. Have fun!
Munro & Associates is a competitive benchmarking company that tears things apart to see how they are made. CEO Sandy Munro says the build quality of the Tesla Model 3 is equivalent to Kias from the 1990’s. Ouch!
Episode 45 of Cleantech Talk is here! This episode covers Ferrari’s electric envy, California’s climate leadership, a “Dear Elon” letter, and Norway’s oil & gas expansion.
