President Barack Obama was elected based on “Hope” and “Change.” Among the changes he wants to make is putting 1 million electric vehicles on America’s roads by 2015. A new study suggests we can only make it halfway there.
I’m all for lofty goals and reaching for the stars, but even I think a million electric vehicles on America’s roads by 2015 is a bit ambitious. American auto sales are just starting to recover from the recession, and the first all-electric vehicle, the Nissan Leaf, is being delivered en masse only in Japan (just 87 Leaf’s were delivered in January.) The study was commissioned by GM, and looked at rebates and car buying habits in all 50 states to determine how many electric drive vehicles (which the Volt technically counts as) each state will buy.
Since electric cars have just started getting to dealerships, it’s hard to predict just how well Americans will take to this different form of transportation. The study predicts, however, that by 2015, there will only be around 469,000 EV’s on America’s roads. Which, if you ask me, ain’t too shabby, though its less than half of what Obama wants by 2015. Naturally, California is seen as a leader in EV sales, with Texas and New York the runners up. With the current Administration pushing for more money for more EV’s though, there could be a surge in demand, especially as gas prices continue to inch upwards.
Do you think we’ll get to a million EV’s by 2015? If not, how long will it take?
Source: Green Car Advisor
Chris DeMorro is a writer and gearhead who loves all things automotive, from hybrids to HEMI’s. You can follow his slow descent into madness at Sublime Burnout.