Category Archives: Sales

Acceleration of electric car sales

August 14, 2015Electric Cars, News, Reviews and Comment, SalesTrevor Larkum

Good news about the sales of electric cars (from 11 June)

A record 9,000 new ultra low emission vehicles (ULEVs) were registered in the UK in the first quarter of 2015.

The figures, published by the Department of Transport, represent a 366% year-on-year surge.

The department said the increase was driven by more vehicles being eligible for grants, which subsidise up to 35% of the cost of a plug-in car and 20% of the cost of a plug-in van.

The models accounting for the most registrations in the latest quarter were the Mitsubishi Outlander with 4,596 and the Nissan Leaf with 1,705

Transport Minister Andrew Jones said:

“I am delighted to see such a huge rise in the number of people buying ultra low emission vehicles.

“The Go Ultra Low campaign is making low emission vehicles an increasingly popular choice and the government is investing £500 million over the next five years in making them more accessible to families and businesses across the country.

“It’s a great example of Britain leading the way in developing sustainable transport options that are affordable for everyone.”

Around 14,500 ULEV’s were sold in the UK in all of 2014, itself a fourfold increase on 2013.

There are now more than 20 plug-in models available to buy compared with just six in 2011, with each of the 10 best-selling brands in the UK now having a ULEV in its range.

Electric cars take over the market

August 11, 2015Electric Cars, Energy and Climate Change, Oil, Opinion, SalesTrevor Larkum

A view on electric vehicles taking over – possibly a pessimistic one?

What would the world look like if electric cars took the lead in market share by 2030? “Couldn’t happen,” you say?

Consider the ramping up of some of the most basic items that have conquered the American market over the past century. Refrigerators went from a luxury item to 60 percent household penetration during the Depression and World War II. Technologies we used to live without including PCs, the Internet, and cell phones have become an integral part of daily life.

Once a breakthrough gets its footing, the rise to mainstream requirement is meteoric and, for reasons unknown (Copernicus has yet to weigh in), the rocket burn lasts about 15 years as the chart above indicates. Trace the rise of both electricity and automobiles. Radios had the sharpest rise of all, which may be why the 1920s were known as the Radio Days. Since the war, color TVs, microwaves, VCRs, PCs, the Internet and cellphones have all caught on as fast as radio. The air-conditioning vector appears to have been bent by the oil embargo in 1973. Auto production sputtered and coughed during the Depression, and throughout the war years, as factories churned out tanks and airplanes. It is not a coincidence that when the stock market peaked in 1929, auto production did too; neither would exceed the 1929 level until 1953.

We are about to find out if electric vehicles can make their mark and become mainstream. The launch sequence and liftoff phase (now barely underway) will soon reveal the extent of their fuel supply, i.e. How much interest will consumers have in EVs when a 200-mile-per-charge car costs less than $25,000? When a 60 kilowatt-hour (kWh) battery costs $9,000, there will be plenty of room in the budget to build a lightweight car around it. (UBS says that at $150 per kWh, the key variable in the calculation above, the EV market will take off.

Renault Zoe & Mitsubishi Outlander Plug-In Lead The Pack

July 31, 2015Electric Cars, Mitsubishi, News, Reviews and Comment, Outlander PHEV, Renault, Sales, ZOETrevor Larkum

[From 31 May] Electric vehicle (EV) sales figures for the European market during the month of April 2015 are now in, and things are looking good. The continent had its third best month ever with regard to total EV sales — seeing a 40% growth rate as compared against April 2014.

Altogether, roughly 11,500 electric vehicles — this includes plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) of course — were registered during the month of April in the European market. This means that EVs now make up roughly 1% of the total new vehicle market. Not bad. EVs and PHEVs certainly have come quite some way over the last few years. It’s hard to say for sure, but they certainly do seem to be on the verge of a breakout from niche status — though perhaps those sorts of changes are more a generational thing, and still a few years off?

EV Europe Sales April 2015With regard to April 2015 sales, the Renault Zoe and the Mitsubishi Outlander Plug-In were nearly tied at the top of the units sold list — with 1,728 units sold and 1,700 units sold, respectively. Following quite a ways behind those two was the Volkswagen e-Golf — with 1,022 units sold. In fourth, the Nissan LEAF was still going strong — with 978 units sold. Tesla did pretty well as well, with sales of 856 units during April.

Fuel price turbulence hasn’t pulled the plug on EVs

June 29, 2015Electric Cars, Energy and Climate Change, Oil, Opinion, SalesTrevor Larkum

Among the biggest stories of 2014 was the crash in global oil prices. Just when it looked like the world had started to take $100/barrel oil for granted, prices plunged by 50 percent. Some speculated that lower oil prices would translate into reduced consumer enthusiasm for electric vehicles (EVs). Now that we have EV sales for 2014 tallied up, let’s look at how the story actually played out.

As it turns out, EVs, including battery electric vehicles (BEVs) and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs), continued to sell consistently around the world. The EV market share in Norway is still far ahead of other countries, at 13.8% of new car sales in 2014. However, in Sweden, the United Kingdom, Denmark, and China the EV market tripled, while in Austria and Germany the EV sales share nearly doubled. The Netherlands is the only country that saw a big drop in EV sales, from 5.6% to 3.4%, likely due to a decline in fiscal incentives. Electric vehicle market share in other countries, including the US, France, and Japan, remained consistent in comparison to 2013.

Further, compared to the first half of 2014, the dramatic drop in global fuel prices during the second half of 2014 did not have any measurable impact on EV sales, and some markets even saw EV sales spike towards the end of the year. There are two main reasons for this: (1) Savings from fuel/electricity costs are only part of all EV incentives, which mainly consist of a variety of fiscal or non-fiscal benefits, and (2) in some countries, particularly in the European Union, fuel taxes already account for a large share of total fuel price, so even during times of fluctuation in global oil price the price at the pump remains relatively stable.

Market share (new sales) of electric passenger cars (Image: Business Spectator)

Satisfaction high for electric cars

June 5, 2015Electric Cars, Leaf, News, Reviews and Comment, Nissan, Renault, Sales, ZOETrevor Larkum

Britain is switching on to the electric revolution, with four of the top 10 cars in a recent high-profile ownership satisfaction survey being electric or hybrid.

The Auto Express Driver Power survey, which saw 61,000 responses from car owners, was topped by the third-generation Lexus IS 300h with an outstanding satisfaction score of 93.96%.

Lexus also scored sixth overall with its NX 300h – an impressive result for such a new car.

Renault’s Zoe all-electric car pipped the NX to fifth place, though, and classified as the best electric car ahead of the Nissan Leaf, which placed eighth overall.

It is the first time that all-electric cars have finished in the Driver Power top 10, and the first time that a hybrid has won the overall honours.

Second place was taken by the first-generation Skoda Yeti, with the brilliant and recently introduced Hyundai i10 completing the podium.

The current Seat Leon was fourth and won its class, while there were strong results for the Jaguar XJ, Mini three-door hatchback and, against all expectations, the MG3, which came 10th overall.

Steve Fowler, editor-in-chief of Auto Express, said:

“Car buyers are attracted by the low running costs of hybrid and electric cars, but Driver Power 2015 shows that the whole ownership experience for these cars is pretty enjoyable too.”

Source: BT.com

Plug-In Electric Car Sales In UK Went Through The Roof – 6,000 In March

June 5, 2015Electric Cars, Leaf, Mitsubishi, News, Reviews and Comment, Nissan, Outlander PHEV, SalesTrevor Larkum

Number plate changes in March and September always raise car sales in the UK and that was no different last month.

Just as we predicted, expecting a record high 5,000-7,000 plug-in car registrations, the UK landed at 6,114 electric car registrations in March!

This is over 400% more than in March 2014 and the registrations bar jumped off our graph scale!

Plug-in Car Registrations in UK – March 2015 (Image: Inside EVs)

Market share for plug-ins exceeded 1.2% of all new car registrations.

The big winner is Mitsubishi, which said that 55% of all plug-ins sold in the UK in March (3,300) were Outlander PHEVs!

“Mitsubishi Motors (UK) confirmed earlier this month that exactly a year after its launch, the Outlander PHEV has now overtaken every other plug-in hybrid and pure-electric vehicle, including the Nissan Leaf and the Toyota Auris and Yaris hybrids. The Outlander PHEV accounted for 55% of the plug-in car market in the month of March[2].”

Mitsubishi Motors (UK) Managing Director, Lance Bradley, said:

“For Mitsubishi, 2014 has been an incredible year of dramatic growth across the Mitsubishi range. We have made impressive and sustainable progress, and as confirmed last week, we are delighted to have broken records with the launch of the UK’s best-selling hybrid vehicle. There is a great feeling across the Mitsubishi network – FY14/15 has been a very special year.”

Nissan can be happy too, as 1,254 LEAFs were delivered.

Plug-in hybrids had 4,209 registrations, while pure electric had 1,905.

Source: Inside EVs

Norway to review electric car subsidies as sales soar

June 4, 2015Electric Cars, Energy and Climate Change, Model S, News, Reviews and Comment, Sales, TeslaTrevor Larkum

Norway is reviewing its subsidies for electric vehicles after generous government incentives made the country the biggest user of battery powered cars in the world, hurting state revenues, the finance ministry said.

Norway registered its 50,000th electric car on Monday, almost three years earlier than expected thanks to government schemes that have cut taxes and provided a plethora of benefits, including an exemption from tolls and parking fees, free recharging stations and the use of bus lanes.

A fifth of all new cars sold in Norway have been electric so far this year and tiny Norway, with just 5.1 million people, accounted for a third of all European battery powered car sales last year, official data showed.

“Our goal is to present a final agreement on the review of the future of automotive and fuel taxes,” the finance ministry said. “The outcome of the review will be announced in the revised budget (due in May).”

The current incentive scheme has been in place since 2012, but it came under criticism last year when sales of the Tesla Model S, a luxury sedan, soared and the budget lost 3 to 4 billion crowns ($380 to $510 million) in expected revenue.

Teslas, starting at about $70,000 and retailing for about$100,000 with extras, accounted for three percent of sales last year, prompting calls to end subsidies for wealthy buyers. Sales of the Nissan Leaf and Volkswagen e-Golf have also risen.

The Norwegian Electric Car Association argues that the benefits need to be maintained longer as only two percent of the cars on the road are electric, still a relatively small figure even if Norway leads the rest of the world by a wide margin.

Norway generates nearly 100 percent of its electricity from hydropower so the shift to battery powered cars results in a net reduction in greenhouse gas emissions — part of the country’s plans to reduce emissions by at least 40 percent by 2030 compared to the 1990 level.

Norway is also Western Europe’s biggest oil and gas producer with about 3.7 million barrels of oil equivalents per day and its offshore energy sector accounts for a fifth of the economy.

Source: Reuters

Sales of ULEVs reach all-time high with many top models at record-breaking Fleet Show

June 3, 2015Electric Cars, News, Reviews and Comment, SalesTrevor Larkum

[April 2015] Sales of Ultra Low Emission Vehicles (ULEVs) have reached an all-time high as fleet buyers increasingly switch to greener options. And fleet decision-makers will have an unrivalled opportunity to evaluate some of the most popular models at the record-breaking Fleet Show at Silverstone next month.

According to the latest research from the Go Ultra Low campaign, 8,573 passenger cars with CO2 emissions lower than 75g/km were registered in the first quarter of this year, a year-on-year increase of 386%. Fleets have led the way, accounting for more than 68% of the market, or 6,045 new models.

And fleet decision-makers have the chance to assess some of the very latest models for themselves at the Fleet Show at Silverstone, which is being sponsored by Barclaycard Fuel+ in association with TMC, with four of the country’s top five most popular cars available at the event.

Leading the way are the latest ultra-low emission models from BMW, which claimed two of the top five places in the league table of most popular models, with the i3 and i8. BMW’s highly acclaimed i range also comes with a comprehensive line-up of support packages, including access to charging networks, home charging solutions and the use of conventionally-powered cars for long trips.

The country’s second most popular model, according to the Go Ultra Low figures, is the Nissan LEAF, the world’s biggest selling electric vehicle. Offering rapid charging to 80% capacity in just 30 minutes, this C-segment hatchback has a range of up to 124 miles from a single charge of its pure electric powerplant.

Also on show will be the fourth most popular model, the Renault ZOE, currently the most affordable EV on the market. Now available with the option to purchase the battery instead of leasing it, the ZOE has a range of 130 miles and, like the LEAF, offers 30-minute rapid charging.

Other ULEVs available at sell-out Silverstone on 12 May will be the Volvo V60 Plug-in Hybrid which combines a diesel engine and an electric motor to mix strong performance CO2 emissions of just 48g/km.

Meanwhile at the luxury end of the market, Californian all-electric luxury car manufacturer, Tesla, will have its Model S, which offers a range of up to 310 miles on the New European Driving Cycle (NEDC), available for test driving.

“These latest sales figures from Go Ultra Low show that, in today’s extremely emissions-conscious fleet market, ULEVs are of increasing importance. Fleet buyers are leading the way in a surge of ULEV registrations in the first quarter of 2015, and this is a trend we expect to see continued throughout the year.

“Some of the very latest ultra-low emission models will be available at Silverstone this year so that fleet decision-makers will have the perfect opportunity to assess them in a variety of different driving conditions,” said Jerry Ramsdale, Show director and publisher of Fleet World.

The Go Ultra Low campaign, the first of its kind, which brings together a consortium of seven leading vehicle manufacturers (Audi, BMW, Mitsubishi, Nissan, Renault, Toyota and Volkswagen), the Office for Low Emission Vehicles and the SMMT, will be running a workshop at the Fleet Show discussing the benefits for fleet operators of including ULEVS on their fleet policy lists.

This year’s Show has already attracted a record-breaking 25 vehicle manufacturers, including several who have never participated in the event before, such as Ford Motor Company and Fiat Chrysler Automobiles.

They will be displaying the very latest in powertrain developments, including the most recent low-emission, tax-busting conventional ICE (Internal Combustion Engine) advances as well as the newest hybrid and electric technology.

Show visitors will again be able to experience test driving on three circuits of the world-famous Silverstone Grand Prix venue, plus off-road driving on the 4×4 course.

However, as with other Fleet Shows, it isn’t simply about test driving. A visit to Silverstone in May provides an appealing mix of education, networking and static displays that guarantee a day out of the office will not be wasted.

Back again by popular demand are the highly successful fleet training sessions, first introduced last year, which involve a series of interactive workshops run by practising fleet managers. The 30-minute workshops will tackle key fleet topics and are the perfect forum to find out something new in fleet management.

Meanwhile, halls 1-3 of the Silverstone Wing will again play host to a wide-ranging fleet exhibition boasting a diverse array of exhibitors. This area will also provide Show visitors with the chance to hold face-to-face meetings and socially interact with exhibitors and other visitors alike.

Source: EV Fleet World

Record number of UK car buyers choose ULEVs

May 28, 2015Electric Cars, News, Reviews and Comment, SalesTrevor Larkum

A record number of UK car buyers are opting to reduce their fuel bills by choosing ultra-low emission vehicles (ULEVs), according to research by Go Ultra Low.

The latest registration figures from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) reveal that more than 41% of all alternatively-fuelled cars registered in the first quarter of 2015 qualified for the government’s plug-in car grant, up from 13% over the same period in 2014.

Ultra-low emission registrations up 386% on first quarter of 2014 (Image: OLEV)

In the first quarter of 2015, 8,573 passenger vehicles with CO2 emissions lower than 75g/km were registered, a year-on-year increase of 386%, as more drivers saw ULEVs as great alternatives to traditionally-fuelled cars. The most popular choice was the Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV, followed by the Nissan LEAF and BMW i3.

Business operators are benefiting too, with those seeking lower maintenance fees and tax rates, plus the potential for reduced whole-life running costs, contributing to a 421% increase in fleet and business ULEV volumes in the quarter.

Businesses running commercial vehicles also showed signs of increasing adoption of electric vans, with volumes up 263 units on January-March 2014 – a growth rate of 353%.

Hetal Shah, Head of Go Ultra Low, said: “The latest plug-in vehicle uptake figures prove that ultra-low emission cars and vans make sense for both private and business users, especially with the potential for fuel costs as low as 2p a mile and reduced whole life running costs.”

Thanks to CO2 emissions of less than 75g/km, all ULEVs are exempt from car tax. Other advantages such as typical annual fuel savings of £660 per vehicle, a nationwide network of recharging points and no congestion charge to pay in London have helped accelerate uptake over the past five years.

The latest registration figures show that car buyers in the South are most likely to opt for an ultra-low emission vehicle, followed by Londoners and the east of the country.

Yorkshire and the North West complete the list of top five regions. The figures also show that car buyers in East Yorkshire are least likely to choose an ultra-low emission option.

With an increasing choice of models qualifying for the £5,000 plug-in grant, the government is well on the way to hitting its aim for ULEVs to make up 5% of all new registrations by 2020.

Most popular ultra-low emissions vehicles

1. Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV
2. Nissan LEAF
3. BMW i3
4. Renault ZOE
5. BMW i8

Regions where ultra-low emissions vehicles are most popular

1. South
2. London
3. East
4. West Midlands
5. North West

Regions where ultra-low emissions vehicles are least popular

1. East Yorkshire / Lincolnshire
2. Northern Ireland
3. West
4. South East
5. East Midlands

Source: Newspress

If you want to buy an electric car, you may need to be speedy

May 10, 2015Electric Cars, News, Reviews and Comment, SalesTrevor Larkum

Just before Christmas 2010, the then transport secretary, Philip Hammond, declared that 2011 would be the year of the electric car.

He couldn’t have been more wrong.

However, had he said that 2015 would be the year – history might have judged him as prophetic.

Figures from the UK car industry this week suggest we might finally be waking up to the electric revolution.

In March 2015, we bought more than 6,000 “plug-in” cars, compared with around 1200 in March 2014 – a 400% increase.

Plug-in hybrids – which have a conventional engine as well as an electric motor – saw sales rise by 984% over the same period, according to the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT), admittedly from a very low base.

Britain's best-selling plug-in electric car has sold 10,000 vehicles in the last year: Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV — Britain’s best-selling plug-in electric car has sold 10,000 vehicles in the last year: Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV

Given the fall in the oil price, which has made conventional motoring cheaper, you might have thought that electric vehicles would be falling out of favour.

In fact, the opposite has happened.

Indeed, if the trend continues, we could well buy more than 30,000 electric vehicles this year alone.

But the good news is also the bad: The government’s £5,000 subsidy on each new car will run out when a total of 50,000 have been sold – and that target could now be reached before the end of the year.