Sales of electric drive vehicles (EDVs – hybrids or full electric) are lagging in the U.S., particularly in regard to forecasts made last year and before. This has led to a flurry of questions from the community interested in EDV technologies. Here are my thoughts on some of those questions.

Q: Are EDVs still far from the mainstream? What will happen to market share (now 2% of all new cars sold) over the next few years?

A: EDVs are gaining less acceptance in North America than expected. However, the growth prognosis for these vehicles in Europe and Asia seems to be as predicted. Main reasons for these differences are: (a) fuel-cost disparity in North America vs. Europe; (b) European daily-drive distances tend to be smaller than in N.A. and, therefore, range anxiety is not a big issue in Europe; and (c) China is strategically focusing on EVs to avoid becoming dependent on foreign oil as its vehicle fleet burgeons in the next decade. Continue reading →