Despite massive government tax and regulatory subsidies, Electric car sales are stalled

Not only is there a large tax credit per car, but the federal government subsidizes massively subsidizes electric cars via its MPG regulations (here and here).  From the LA Times:

Electric car sales are not charging the marketplace. A new study by online automotive research company Edmunds.com suggests the segment may have run out of gas.
Sales of electric drive vehicles are stuck at about 3.6% of all new car sales for 2014, Edmunds senior analyst Jessica Caldwell said.
That's below the 3.7% market share for 2013, and it's not likely to grow any before the end of the year.
And that's during an otherwise robust sales season. Total figures for August were higher than any time in the last decade.
Automakers sold about 1.6 million vehicles in the U.S. in August, an increase of about 3% from August 2013, according to initial industry estimates released Wednesday.
"The whole automobile market has grown," Caldwell said. "We’re not seeing electric vehicles as part of that growth." . . .

Read More

If you were already concerned by the short distances that electric cars could cover, here is some advice

If you were already concerned about the short distances that electric cars could travel, do not go in either frigid or hot temperatures.

The average EV battery range in AAA’s test was 105 miles at 75 degrees but dropped 57% to just 43 miles at 20 degrees. Heat also sliced the cars' ranges but by not as much: The cars averaged 69 miles per full charge at 95 degrees, 33% less than in 75-degree weather. . . .

If there is a 57% drop between 75 and 20 degrees, what happens if it gets really cold?  I would assume that the distance drops even further.  If the relationship is linear, these first two observations imply a distance of only 20 miles at a temperature of zero.  My guess is that things are even worse than that as the drop off may increase with lower temperatures.

Read More