The top two electric car models in the US each suffered a significant drop in sales last month.
The Volt managed only 125 units, the Leaf fared a little better at 931. In June the Volt sold over 500 units, the Leaf over 1700. Sales were so disappointing that for the first time this year, neither manufacturer mentioned their EV in the monthly sales press releases.
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Nissan has been busy with marketing Leaf. Last month they delivered the first one to Canada, though there’s no mention of whether it comes with the Gaia-stomping battery-warmer option. Nissan is a little miffed at UK car show Top Gear for showing their Leaf running out of juice on a road trip and requiring a 13-hour recharge.
Maybe that’s part of the reason UK EV sales seem to have stalled.
This month, Nissan is trying to undo the PR damage they delivered to their eco-car with the monster diesel rescue trucks by announcing solar chargers for the Leaf. Which is a great option for night-shift workers who live just around the corner from their place of work and never need to use the car during the day.
A little more than halfway into the year, it’s a fair guess that Nissan will not be selling half a million EV’s by the end of next year. It’s also a fair guess that the over-priced, under-performing Volt is done. Unless GE can buy them all, that is.
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More news on Nissan Leaf battery life and replacement costs.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/motoring/news/8674273/Electric-car-owners-may-face-19000-battery-charge.html
“Nissan has admitted that owners of a Leaf, which costs £26,000 after the [£5,000] government grant, may need to replace the battery after a few years, depending on how it has been treated, The Times reported.”
“The battery’s capacity can decrease significantly if the owner repeatedly uses a fast-charge point.”
“Andy Palmer, Nissan GB’s senior vice-president, told the paper that the lithium ion battery is made up of 48 modules. He said that each would cost £404 to replace, making £19,392 for the entire battery pack.”
Sounds like a great deal!
lol, Nissan have just announced that they are going to install 2 charging points in Lincoln. Now, a fast charge (not recommended because it drastically reduces battery life) will take around 4-5 hours. Hence anyone in Lincoln or travelling through in an EC better be prepared to get in line and allow themselves some sight seeing time.
The cathedral really is worth a look and there are some excellent pubs close by!
Oh, by the way, I noticed Clarkestone made a mistake in the talk about the prices of the two cars. He said £5000 of the cost of the car would be handed back, using UK government money, to the purchaser as an incentive. I was not aware that the government had any money but one thing is for sure. It is taxpayers money not the governments. You want to be “Green” and drive an overpriced, inefficient car that still relies on coal fired power stations, fine! Just do not use other peoples hard earned money for subsidies to your consciences!
I particularly enjoyed the Nissans visit to Lincoln in the UK and the officials at the local council admitting there were no charging points in the city. Shame it was the last Top Gear of the season. I would loved to here Clarkstone’s reply to Nissan. Maybe he will address their points about his heavy foot in the next series! Long live petrol!
[...] Volt & Leaf sales fell in July [...]
Dear brc:
Unlike a Cord (which actually sold pretty well back in the day), Tucker, or DeLorean (& let us not even bring up such things as th’ Packard/Chrysler Airflow, or the Enger Twin-Unit Twleve), the Volt won’t run at all in 60 years unless you replace the battery packs. Those things don’t do so well in storage.
But, according to their [redacted:profane] marketing [redacted:physically impossible], it’s “virtually sold-out”:
http://www.egmcartech.com/2011/08/02/chevrolet-volt-sold-out/
Also, I’m virtually a billionaire (most of my money is reserved for future debt deferral and corporate fleet use).
I doubt these will ever go on sale in Australia. Which is a shame, because the goverments slated carbon tax would mean that EV drivers would be paying the tax via their electricity, while privately owned petro-powered cars would be exempt. Saving Gaia is important and all, but even the most braindead government has worked out you can’t sell extra taxes of fuel in one of the largest countries on the planet.
I think it would be a good idea to purchase one of these and lock it away for future keeping. They’ll be a real collectors piece in years to come – the equivalent of a Cord, Delorean or Tucker or some other revolutionary but horrifically slow selling vehicle.
In the first few months of sales figures, it was not clear whether the run-up of sales was caused by widespread adoption of the technology, or the techno-glee or enviro-glee of a few early adopters. It now appears that it is trending towards the latter.
I have also noticed that a few (hardly) used Tesla roadsters are already on Ebay for considerably less than new prices. Are the Li-ion packs wearing out too quickly in the moderate California climate? Or are T-Roadsters trading ‘up’ to a Chevy Volt?
It’s even worse than you realize. In Saskatchewan, there aren’t even any hills to roll down.
How many miles will the Leaf travel in Canada in -20 degrees F? I guess if you don’t turn on the heat you may squeeze out a few extra miles. Oh yes I am certain the Leaf will be a real hit in Saskatoon.