The global EV sales (including all electric plug-ins and hybrids) have crossed the 1 million mark – a major achievement for EV manufacturers and a big step towards the green transportation movement.
Amazingly, the second half of the million was achieved in less than 14 months with the US holding the largest market share. Pure EVs run completely on electricity and rely on supercharger stations for “refueling”. They are a relatively expensive investment but more economical (and obviously greener) to run than their hybrid counterparts (PHEVs) which use both electric motor and a regular gasoline engine. This is reflected in the fact that EVs hit the million mark in half the time it took PHEVs to do the same.
The Tesla Model S remains the most popular EV with 14,500 vehicles sold up till August this year, with the Nissan LEAF a close second at 12,383. Tesla’s popularity can be attributed to the company’s extensive global supercharger network that has now crossed 2000 superchargers in 453 stations spread across 4 continents. Hong Kong has the honour of having the highest number of supercharger stations. The Tesla Supercharger service is free for the Model S owners for life!
The hanging question for EV fans is will other manufacturers be able to provide the same charging convenience as Tesla? Surely, this is a major hurdle for the Model S competitors to cross. Rumours are that Tesla might go public with its supercharger patent. While this may have an effect on Model S sales, it will definitely be a plus for drivers using other EV models.