Past performance is no guarantee of future profits. Or in this case, spending on infrastructure. As I said, I don't think other car makers understand what drivers want, the way Tesla does.
I would put it slightly differently. No other car maker understands all the facets of electric vehicle adoption and is as motivated to drive that adoption like Tesla. Most car companies are focused on building cars. Tesla is focused on building a solar-electric ecosystem. And that different focus shows in their willingness to spend on infrastructure.
Tesla will be able to sell all the EV's they can produce. Other car manufacturers are not in the same position, they will not be able to sell all the EV's they can produce.
Hmm, not sure I agree. My money would be on Tesla selling more “standard” Model 3s than Nissan sells 40 kW Leafs in 2018.
Yes, it's very obvious that Tesla will sell many more EV's than any other car manufacturer in the US in 2018. Not everybody is willing to make a reservation for a Tesla Model 3 and to wait a year or more for delivery. The initial question was regarding sales potential of the Chevrolet Bolt EV in the US in 2018.
Actually, many Europeans don't use cars at all on weekdays for commuting, since both cities and suburbs (which tend to be much less sprawling than in the US) are well-served by public mass transit, or they use bicycles. For these people, the average trip is therefore longer, but there are less trips overall, and for intercity (freeway) trips, speeds tend to be faster (speed limits are higher in theory and practice, and not just on the autobahns. ) Freeway (autoroute / autostrada / etc.) limits tend to be 130 or 140 km/h, or 80 (sometimes 88) mph. Faster trips need more battery capacity. Another factor is car size: The Leaf is the same size category as the Golf, the best-selling car in Europe for years -- compact cars, the most popular category in Europe (despite the EPA classifying them differently, which is hogwash), so it has big potential there, unlike the US: It's not an SUV or a truck.
That was my initial question in this thread. First of all the Chevrolet Bolt EV is already available in dealer showrooms, meaning that people don't have to make a reservation and don't have to wait a year or even more for the delivery of their new EV. Secondly, The Chevrolet Bolt EV already has a 60 kWh battery pack. The Nissan Leaf doesn't have a 60 kWh battery pack yet. No need to wait if you choose to buy a Chevrolet Bolt EV. Yes, it's very likely that the sales number of the Chevrolet Bolt EV will cross the 30,000 line in the US in 2018.
Chevrolet Bolt EV Sales Hit Record High In October! The Bolt is up 149 units from last month to hit its all-time sales high of 2,781 in October. Meanwhile, the Volt is down 91 units to 1,362.
Say Goodbye To The Original Nissan LEAF, As October US Sales Fade Away The Nissan LEAF, sales of which have been on a downward trend the past few months manged to move a mere 213 examples, 8 weeks before the new, redesigned 40 kWh Leaf becomes available.
October 2017 Plug-In Electric Vehicle Sales Report Card Fresh October numbers, get them while they're hot!
I always thought the i3 was a learning venture for BMW and they just happened to sell a few. The 3e and 5e versions will be what they rely on eventually, not the i3.
In some respects -- the unique carbon-fiber reinforced plastic (CFRP) body module -- it was a learning venture, though I would say the original Mini E and ActiveE were more transparently engineering exercises involving actual customers. The i3, available for sale instead of strictly through lease, is meant to be a consumer product, just as every other BMW model. That said, I don't know what sort of sales expectations BMW had off the top of my head, but I imagine they were higher than what it is seeing today.
It was more than just the CF frame though, it was a whole new interior design language, trying out all eco fabrics... trying out an EV and EREV side by side. That and the concept car looks I dont think they ever expected it to be a runaway success, just a learning curve to see how the market reacts and what buyers opt for. On a level sure it costs a ton of money to federalize a car you dont want to sell a bunch of, but if it fails to sell a lot you can just shrug and say 'eh too funky'. But... if they tried all that with a 3 series and it failed then they have a 'BMW cant sell the 3 series in electric guise' headline. I think you also end up with a set of dedicated buyers who WANT the i3 and you get to collect all the sales data and insights from them to make your more mass appeal car better tuned to capture these folks. If theyre mixed in with the 3 crowd you have a hard time figuring out if they were 3 buyers who were swayed to the EV part or if they are pure EV wanters. Pretty much what the roadster was. Let's make a small volume run on a dedicated car and just get a lot of learning from it. But that's all pure conjecture. This whole EV market is a fascinating business to watch.
A Record 123,000 Plug-In EVs Were Sold Worldwide In September Some numbers with a global perspective.
US EV Sales Charted: Market Share Above 1% For Sixth Month In A Row In October A reminder of how much room there is for improvement.
It's December 1st, which means sales numbers day. Here's a little update on the Chevy Bolt. Chevrolet Bolt EV Continues Hot Sales Hand In November, Nears 3,000 Deliveries
Some more November data to chew on: November Sales Of Plug-In EVs Rise In US – For 26th Month In A Row, BMW Surprises
Love the stats and scorecard schedules. Have links from my UBUYGAS.com website to them for people who find my website. Every single day dozens of people look at my license plate and read the back of my car and then go to my site and most likely get to your site. Keep up the Great Work!! Sal Cameli