Global Sales of Electric Cars Accelerate Fast In 2020 Despite Pandemic (theguardian.com)
- Reference: 0141276018
- News link: https://tech.slashdot.org/story/21/01/19/2220247/global-sales-of-electric-cars-accelerate-fast-in-2020-despite-pandemic
- Source link: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/jan/19/global-sales-of-electric-cars-accelerate-fast-in-2020-despite-covid-pandemic
> Global sales of electric cars accelerated fast in 2020, [1]rising by 43% to more than 3 million , despite overall car sales slumping by a fifth during the coronavirus pandemic. Tesla was the brand selling the most electric cars, delivering almost 500,000, followed by Volkswagen. Sales of electric cars more than doubled in Europe, pushing the region past China as the world's biggest market for them, according to data published on Tuesday by EV-volumes.com, a Sweden-based consultancy.
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> Sales of battery electric vehicles (BEVs) and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) made up 4.2% of the global car market, up from 2.5% in 2019. The rising sales are being driven by government policies to reduce carbon emissions, but a key factor is that electric cars are simply a better technology, said Viktor Irle, sales and marketing analyst at EV-volumes.com. Sales of electric cars did fall below 2019's levels from March to June, at the height of the Covid-19 lockdowns, but recovered strongly after that and by December were at double the level in December 2019.
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> There are about 150 new BEV and PHEV models expected on the market in 2021. This indicates that 2021 will see continued growth, said Irle, who estimates sales of about 4.6m electric cars by the end of the year. The EV-volumes.com data showed the five highest national sales were in China (1.3m), Germany (0.4m), the US (0.3m), France and the UK (both 0.2m). However, growth in the US was only 4% in 2020, due to few new models being available.
[1] https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/jan/19/global-sales-of-electric-cars-accelerate-fast-in-2020-despite-covid-pandemic
Question for the audience (Score:2)
Does anyone have any driving experience with any non-Tesla electric vehicle, particularly in America?
I'm seeing all sorts of varying classes of electric vehicles trying to find a market, from residential vehicles that seem to get around 30-50 miles on a charge w/ top speeds of 25-30mph, to short-mileage mini sedans like the Fiat 500e, to tricycle sedans like the Electra Meccanica, to full-range non-Tesla sedans. Is anything really finding success?
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In the US, I see Teslas all the time, but I can count on one hand the number of other EVs I've seen. In fact, I think I once saw a Bolt that BMW i-thing, once.
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Lots of Teslas. I have seen quite a few BMW i3 but not as many as Tesla. Fewer than i3 was volt/bolt. Saw electric kona or something once.
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For what it's worth, I own a Chevy Bolt, and I love it. The range on a full charge is 239 miles (mine is a 2017 --- the last two model years have bumped it up to 259). It looks more or less like a Honda Fit but has incredible acceleration and it charges overnight at home so I basically never have to go to a public charger. The vast majority of the time, it doesn't feel like a compromise at all -- it just feels like a car. A really fun-to-drive car. The only tradeoff I've found so far is that if you *d
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It looks more or less like a Honda Fit
To many people, that's not a positive. The Fit is the prototypical "nerd car" look, and that's something that's not helping to sell EVs.
USA is the worst market for electric. $4K car best (Score:2)
> Does anyone have any driving experience with any non-Tesla electric vehicle, particularly in America?
Most electric cars aren't designed for the USA market.
The big, fast, expensive cars that Americans like in the relatively sparsely populated US are very different from what works well in most of the world. Most places have smaller cars, and shorter trips that involve slower speeds and shorter range. The US median income is also about 6X the median income globally, meaning Americans buy expensive cars.
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> And yet the US leads in EV sales by far. Slashdot guys are clueless about reality.
The summary says "EV-volumes.com data showed the five highest national sales were in China (1.3m), Germany (0.4m), the US (0.3m), France and the UK (both 0.2m)."
Did you have different data to reference?
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You might want to note that Tesla's Shanghai factory is now shipping to the tune of 1,200 cars per day. Much of it for domestic consumption.
Yes there is a market for sub-$10K sub$20K EVs. That doesn't mean there is no market for Tesla's higher-priced/higher-margin products.
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> That doesn't mean there is no market for Tesla's higher-priced/higher-margin products.
Certainly there is a market. Heck there's a market for Rolls Royce and Bentley. Tesla's market - higher end electric cars designed for US tastes, is significantly larger than Bentley's market.
Also, the top 10 car companies, which produce almost all of the cars in the world, have a combined value of $800 billion. That would be these companies:
Toyota 207.82
Volkswagen 96.98
BYD 93.23
NIO 91.10
General Motors
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It's funny because that godawful Hongguang is exactly what logic would dictate for moving people efficiently with protection from wind and rain and crashes (at not-too-fast speeds). Yet it's so unthinkable here.
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It's not that Americans don't want a $4.2k electric car or even a $15k electric car. It's that such an EV would be too limited in range to use as anything other than a secondary vehicle. Most people who are in an income bracket where only low-end cars are within their budget, are seeking something that meets their needs as a primary vehicle. Low-end ICE vehicles typically compromise on features, comfort, and engine power, but are generally more fuel efficient than higher priced models of non-hybrid ICE v
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> Does anyone have any driving experience with any non-Tesla electric vehicle, particularly in America?
American here. I have a Nissan Leaf. My neighbor is driving his second Leaf. At the other end of the small close in which I live, someone has a Bolt.
> I'm seeing all sorts of varying classes of electric vehicles trying to find a market, from residential vehicles that seem to get around 30-50 miles on a charge w/ top speeds of 25-30mph, to short-mileage mini sedans like the Fiat 500e, to tricycle sedans like th
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Last week I was driving my Model Y in Palo Alto and saw my first Rivian. Matte black paint job. Gave and received thumbs-up to the driver and he looked happy as hell to be driving it. And showing it off.
The specs and looks of the Rivian is awesome, and it looks like it has serious manufacturing capability behind it.
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Tesla seem to be the only ones really pushing it hard although I believe other big manufacturers are working on their slate.
But the idea is slowly catching on. My father has spent the last decade grumping on about how its a terrible idea, and he only wants a car with "guts".
Then the other day he was given a drive in one of his friends ones and now he cant shut up about his plans to buy one.
I suspect a lot of the skepticism dries up once people have actually driven one and felt the power of the whole electri
Duh ... electric cars accelerate fast ... (Score:2)
Everyone knows that.
Wait...
You mean sales of electric cars is accelerating fast. Oh, thats good news, I guess.
Excellent (Score:3)
You know what this decade finally feels like by 2030 the future may be similar to the future I grew up thinking the 2000s might be like.
Self driving cars -- it's happening.
Mars trips and Lunar holidays -- finally seems like it might have a chance of being thing at least for the super wealthy at first
Flying cars -- although not really anti-gravity based, roadable flying cars may finally become a thing
Cancer -- many interesting and novel approaches to cure it are in the pipeline
Infectious disease -- war against it is ramping up again and we're improving. We may be able to prevent or cure all the major ones.
Diabetes -- cure is in sight with encapsulated beta cell technology.
Parkinson's -- cure finally appears feasible.
VR - realistic VR headsets may actually be a thing.
Fusion energy -- ITER (designed in the early 1980s) is getting built finally.
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> Fusion energy -- ITER (designed in the early 1980s) is getting built finally.
Man.... that's depressing. Imagine where we'd be if fusion research had the kind of funding that got things built when they were designed. 40 years is a looong iteration cycle.
Yes (Score:2)
Which is why nobody can get parts to build anything else. @#$@#$
150 new BEV and PHEV models (Score:4, Insightful)
...and the vast majority of them are Chinese.
Fossil auto makers have largely been dragging their asses for decades. Now a whole new paradigm of automotive manufacturing has sprung up and companies that aren't heavily invested in the old tech - and who haven't been holding back advancements - are going to drink the major automotive brand's milkshakes.
And since the old guard auto makers are entrenched in Japan, Europe and the US, that pretty much leaves China as the only global industrial country that hasn't been avoiding the inevitable. They have the entire supply chain under their control, and they're gonna run away with it.
=Smidge=
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And since the old guard auto makers are entrenched in Japan, Europe and the US, that pretty much leaves China as the only global industrial country that hasn't been avoiding the inevitable.
Enjoy your battery powered Chinese coffin.
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The Chinese are going to be making paper chassis deathtraps either way. At least BEVs aren't spewing even more smog in already choked cities.
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Most people in the world have no way to charge these cars (living in apartments and such). While gas is everywhere. So unless they solve the infrastructure problem, they won't be running away with anything
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We'll see:
> Investments in battery-powered vehicles, autonomous driving and related future technologies will rise to about 73 billion euros, or half the companyâ(TM)s budget through 2025, VW said Nov. 13. Thatâ(TM)s up from 60 billion euros a year ago, or 40% of investments planned at the time. The numbers donâ(TM)t include VWâ(TM)s Chinese joint ventures, which have a separate, self-funded investment plan.
The big boys aren't the most agile, but that is a lot of weight to throw around.
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Quite frankly I hope you cause a high voltage battery malfunction that arcs up your stream.
"global Sales of Electric Cars Accelerate Fast" (Score:2)
So to speak.
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You mean going 'fast' is the goal of accelerating?
Re: "global Sales of Electric Cars Accelerate Fast (Score:2)
You can't accelerate fast. Fast is a property of instantaneous velocity.
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Actually, the goal of acceleration is faster , and to be fair, fast is merely a relative term. A fast human is a slow af [1]compared to a cheetah... [google.com], or even a [2]fracking bear [southcoasttoday.com].
[1] https://www.google.com/search?q=cheetah+speed+mph&rlz=1C1CHBF_enUS914US914&oq=cheetah+speed&aqs=chrome.1.69i57j0j0i20i263j0j0i395l6.7294j1j7&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8
[2] https://www.southcoasttoday.com/sports/20170916/open-season-think-you-can-out-run-bear-consult-this-list-of-worlds-fastest-animals#:~:text=Black%20bears%20and%20grizzly%20bears,less%20hustle%20than%20a%20bear.
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Are you saying that it isn't possible to have different rates of acceleration?
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Speed doesn't exist at a single instant, any more than acceleration does.
Screw Newton!
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So to use a car analogy, no car can accelerate faster than another car?