Tesla sales: how much do rebates matter to buyers in Canada?

2013 Tesla Model S on Chilcotin Highway, Canada [photo: owner Vincent Argiro]The government of Ontario amended its plug-in electric vehicle incentive program in March, eliminating incentives for vehicles with a recommended price of $75,000 or more. What effect will this have on demand for Tesla’s Model S and X? Two years ago, this site analyzed the impacts on electric-car sales in British Columbia when funding for...

In what segments will electric cars do best by 2025? Twitter poll results

Mitsubishi e-Evolution concept, 2017 Tokyo Motor ShowAs U.S. car buyers increasingly opt for crossover utility vehicles of all sizes over passenger sedans and hatchbacks, that shift has come to pose a problem for electric cars. The bulk of battery-electric models on offer today are compact five-door hatchbacks without available all-wheel drive. Think BMW i3, Ford Focus Electric, Hyundai Ioniq, Kia...

Plug-in electric car sales in Canada, Feb 2018: turning over new Leafs

2018 Nissan Leaf with EVgo fast charger at NJ Turnpike Molly Pitcher travel plaza, Feb 2018Cumulative Canadian plug-in electric vehicle sales surpassed 50,000 units in February, aided by the second-generation 2018 Nissan Leaf, which sold 179 units in its “rookie” month. Unfortunately for the world’s best-selling plug-in electric vehicle (and third-best in Canada), its tally was beaten by both the Volkswagen e-Golf and...

For six months, one in five Prius sales has been a plug-in hybrid

2017 Toyota Prius Prime, Dallas, TexasA funny thing happened to Toyota Prius hybrid sales last month. Almost one in three Prius hybrids sold in the U.S. were the Prius Prime model—the one with a plug. Toyota may be the large automaker least friendly to cars that plug in, so what's that all about? DON'T MISS: Toyota Prius hybrid sales have tanked: here are 4 reasons why In the...

Toyota Prius hybrid sales have tanked: here are 4 reasons why

2016 Toyota Prius - first drive, Laguna Niguel, CA, Nov 2015The Toyota Prius hybrid has been its maker's "halo car" and an example of its most advanced technology for two decades. Launched from an early-1990s project to halve the fuel consumption of a small car, its hybrid-electric powertrain pioneered mass electrification of passenger cars. But the sales arc of what has grown to be a family of Prius...

What if car buyers aren’t ready for electric cars, even in California?

Tesla Supercharger site in Vacaville, California, before expansion    [photo: George Parrott]It's accepted wisdom among electric-car fans and advocates that within a few years, mass-market car buyers will start snapping up battery-electric cars. First, battery prices have to come down to the point that electric vehicles aren't much pricier than comparable models with gasoline engines. But what it that assumption simply isn't backed up by...

Plug-in electric car sales for Jan fall after year-end surge

2018 Nissan Leaf electric car, test-driven by Shiva of Fremont, California, Oct 2017While 2017 saw higher U.S. sales of plug-in electric cars than any previous year, expectations for 2018 sales are running even higher. The Chevrolet Bolt EV will be available in all 50 states for a full year, the new 2018 Nissan Leaf with a 151-mile range is now on sale, and of course the Tesla Model 3 will be a factor. How much of a factor...

Nissan and partners have now sold 540,000 plug-in electric vehicles

2018 Nissan LeafOf the 90 million or so new vehicles sold globally last year, plug-in electric cars made up only a tiny proportion, roughly 1 percent. But the auto industry works on long product cycles and buyers tend to be conservative, only changing the types of cars they buy if life circumstances change or there's a compelling financial reason to do so...

Tesla delivers 1,550 Model 3s in Q4; Models S, X over 100,000 in 2017

2017 Tesla Model 3 and Model S in Tesla assembly plant parking lot, Fremont, CA, November 2017Tesla said it delivered 1,550 Model 3 electric cars between October 1 and December 31 last year, but built 2,425 over the same period. That compares to a total of 260 Model 3s delivered in the third quarter, after a splashy "handover event" in which the first 30 cars were delivered to buyers. The Model 3, the electric car starting at $35,000, is...