But only 382,176 plug-in electrified vehicles (PEVs) have been sold in the U.S. since 2008, according to Hybridcars.com. That’s just 38 percent of Obama’s one million vehicle goal.
And although auto sales in the U.S. were at an all-time-high last year with 17.47 million sold, electric vehicles actually lost market share, dropping from 3.47 percent of all vehicles sold in the U.S. to 2.87 percent, according to the Electric Drive Transportation Association (EDTA).
Americans bought 9.7 percent more pickup trucks last year than in 2014, with Ford’s F-Series remaining the top-selling vehicle for the ninth year in a row. 780,354 of them were sold in 2015, which was 14.6 percent more than the 753,851 Ford pickups sold in 2014.
However, despite a massive amount of federal spending on electric vehicles that is expected to reach $7.9 billion by 2019 and generous tax rebates up to $7,500, sales of many PEVs declined last year, according to sales data compiled by Good Car Bad Car.
A notable exception was Tesla’s Model S. Estimates indicate that the luxury all-electric car increased its U.S. market share 60.8 percent, from 16,550 sold in 2014 to 26,608 sold in 2015, according to Hybridcars.com.
However, sales of the Nissan Leaf, the top-selling electric car in 2014, plunged 42.8 percent, with just 17,269 sold in 2015 compared to 30,200 the year before. The Leaf was the second-highest selling PEV in 2015, but just 167th in overall auto sales last year.
Likewise, Chevrolet sold 15,393 plug-in hybrid Volts in 2015, down 18.1 percent from the 18,805 it sold in 2014. The Volt was the third-highest selling PEV in 2015, but only the 175th vehicle model sold overall.
The BMW i3 edged its way up from seventh to fourth place among PEVs last year with 11,024 vehicles sold in 2015 compared to 6,092 in 2014, an 81 percent increase.
It replaced last year’s fourth place PEV finisher, the Toyota Prius PHV. Sales of the plug-in Prius plummeted 68.4 percent last year, dropping from 13,264 sold in 2014 to just 4,191 in 2015.
Experts say that PEVs’ high prices and short range make them unattractive to consumers, particularly when gasoline prices are currently averaging below $2 per gallon, which is much lower than the $3.51 per gallon average in 2011.
“Every affordable (sub-$30,000) EV [electric vehicle] is unable to cover 100 miles on a charge, so consumers need to do their homework when planning a work commute and other activities in gas-free cars,” according to Autos CheatSheet.
For example, the # 2 selling PEV, the Nissan Leaf, has an EPA-estimated range of just 84 miles before it needs to be recharged.
Article Appeared @http://cnsnews.com/news/article/barbara-hollingsworth/sales-electric-vehicles-fall-far-short-obamas-1-million-2015-goal