Hybrid and electric car sales soar as gas prices fall
(MoneyWatch) Hybrid and electric cars, contrary to their usual trend, have continued strong sales even as gas prices have fallen. With gas more than 50 cents per gallon below its peak earlier this year, hybrid and electric sales still surged by 164 percent in June, according to Kelley Blue Book.
But not all electrics performed equally. Vehicles with a back-up gasoline engine like the Chevrolet Volt sold strongly, while pure electrics such as the Nissan Leaf lagged. General Motors sold 1,760 Volts in June and 8,817 for the first half of the year -- a 221% increase -- while the Nissan Leaf sold 535 in June and 3,148 in the first half of 2012.
The issue is range anxiety -- drivers' fear of being stuck on the road when the battery runs out on an all-electric car. "Range anxiety just kills it for a lot of day-to-day consumers," says Ivan Drury, an analyst with Edmunds.com. With the Volt, a backup gasoline engine kicks in after the battery's range of about 35 miles is exhausted.
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In addition to the Volt, Toyota Prius is now offering a plug-in hybrid version that recharges when plugged in but has a backup gasoline engine. That now gives the Prius family a wide choice. The small-car Prius C has sold strongly since its introduction earlier this year. And the traditional Prius and bigger Prius V also continue to do well. Overall Prius sales were up 300 percent over June of last year, although that number was boosted somewhat by a comparison with limited inventory last June after the Japanese earthquake and tsunami.
In addition, more plug-in hybrids are coming on the market. Later this year, Ford is introducing a small crossover called the C-Max, which has a plug-in version. The company says it will be able to travel about 20 miles on electric power alone but then could add an additional 530 miles with the gasoline engine. Reports suggest that some mid-size sedans such as the Ford Fusion and Honda Accord also could add plug-in versions in the future.
Even with state budget crises, some states continue to give incentives for electric and plug-in vehicles. Volt has now qualified for the $2,500 rebate California gives to buyers of such cars.. Perhaps more important for some daily commuters, these cars also get a sticker allowing the driver to use the car pool lane even when alone in the car. In traffic-clogged California cities, that can mean major time saving during a commute.
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All Americans should be happy to see new technology for the 21st century doing well, but it certainly appears we have the usual fox/rush haters of clean and green technology posting their anti-American rants.
This is just more proof of the hatred and bigotry of the right-wing!
This is a BS argument sure to lauded, copied & pasted and generally spouted by Obama-nation ad nauseum. Look, occupy is already going full bore.
Whenever I see a "percentage" argument with grand statements showing the Percent first, I always know it's going to be something like "Green Ketchup sales soar 500% last month!!!!"
Then you find out the previous month they only sold 6 bottles of ketchup same month prior year, and this time they sold 30 bottles, compared to 9 million bottles of red ketchup. Big whoop. Same thing applies here.
Absolutely, and then those haters come here to CBS to post their drivel, like a good fox/rush/breitbart parrot!
"I own a 2012 Chevy Volt. I've been driving 35 years & it's the best car I've ever owned. I look forward to driving it every day and I use almost no gas at all! Don't believe the naysayers who've never even driven one. It's an awesome ride and a testament to what can be accomplished by American engineers when a company really gets behind them! Political BS is just that, BS."
Thanks for the input, from a real Volt owner and driver, counteracting the spin and conservitard propaganda from the fox/rush peanut gallery of ignorant posters!
If YOU don't like solar PV or solar hot water panels, don't buy them.
If YOU don't like wind turbines, don't buy one.
If YOU don't like hybrids and EV's, don't buy them, and stay close to the GAS pumps and pay the gouged and speculated prices.
But to post all the fox/rush propaganda you bozos do, it only makes YOU look totally ignorant, as other Americans are making their FREEDOMS and LIBERTIES known to others like YOU that want to deny them their unalienable rights, buy driving a Prius or a Volt!
Hybrid and electric sales soar as gas prices fall, so live with it!
Aaaaaaah, the bobsy twins -- conservatrolls with an agenda -- both UnAmerican and georgie boy, sure have swallowed the fox/rush propaganda and are ready for another week ahead parroting their B.S.
Bad math makes claim that each Volt cost taxpayers $250,000 go viral
Oh, how easy it is to go viral on the Internet. All you have to do is be really, really bad at math. Or have an agenda. Here's how to play the game:
Start with a car that is already in the news and for some reason has turned into a political hot button. Something like, say, the Chevy Volt. Then, make up a completely bogus number about how much each one costs taxpayers and put it out there. Get Drudge involved. Sit back, relax and see your nonsense spread like wildfire.
When we first saw this story, we looked it over and figured the math was so skewed that no one would dare repeat it. But then all the conservatrolls with an agenda, did just that.....
http://green.autoblog.com/2011/12/26/bad-math-makes-claim-that-each-volt-cost-taxpayers-250-000-go-v/
A calculator in the wrong hands is a very dangerous thing. Case in point: Number crunching about the cost of the Chevy Volt by James Hohman, assistant director of fiscal policy at Michigan's Mackinac Center for Public Policy. Despite having a degree in economics from Northwood University, Mr. Hohman conveniently neglects any notion of research and development costs being amortized over an entire product cycle.
http://www.plugincars.com/250k-chevy-volt-111105.html
Media Fail: Chevy Volt Makes NO Money, Costs Taxpayers Hundreds of Thousands of Dollars Per Car
Read more: http://nation.foxnews.com/chevy-volt/2012/07/17/media-fail-chevy-volt-makes-no-money-costs-taxpayers-hundreds-thousands-dollars-car#ixzz21TKQgu2h
LOL!
If you think the oil companies are going to lower gas prices because a Republican is in office, you'll be terribly disappointed. They will squeeze every dollar out of any and everybody they can. Your only alternative is to drive a car that doesn't use gas.
I've been driving on solar generated electricity for ten years/109,000 miles. My electric bill average about $100 PER YEAR for both the house and my car! My car needs virtually no maintenance and it drives like a bat outta hell. It's very fast and smooth as glass. If you haven't riven one, don't criticize them. Go to the Chevy dealer or a Nissan dealer and drive the Volt and LEAF and see for yourself.
One commercials, the woman says "I go to the gas station, so little, that I forget how to put gas in my car"......yeah, like if someone doesn't rent a hotel room for 3 months, they "forget" how.
Chevy's whole advertising is trying to make sure you know...."yes, this is a gasoline car, but you hardly ever fill-up"
of course, until you go on vacation and drive a couple thousand miles, then how's the range, SXBB ?