General Motors North America President Mark Reuss went to bat for electric vehicles at the Automotive World Congress on Wednesday, saying the vehicles’ time will come.
Although sales of EVs tripled last year, they still represent a tiny portion of American auto sales.
In fact, out of around 14 million sales last year, only 52 thousand were EVs. That’s around one-third of 1%.
While the increase was good, the still minute portion of sales has people wondering if the EV is dead.
Ruess for one says no way. “The electric vehicle is not dead. I believe, and we at GM believe, that the public will accept and embrace electric vehicles. Some people already have.”
“We’re talking about a transformation here. And transformation takes time,” he said. “We will see the day when we have an affordable electric car that offers 300 miles of range with all the comfort and utility of a conventional vehicle.”
There are many reasons to be optimistic about the EV segment. The Chevy Volt, which represents almost half of the total EV sales in America, was the Consumer Reports top car for owner satisfaction. That’s not owner satisfaction for EV cars alone, that’s owner satisfaction for every car out there.
The Volt took a political lashing as the symbol of the Obama administration’s support for green car initiatives.
Despite these attacks, Volt sales have grown and Volt owners remain the most loyal car buyers in America.
JD Power and Associates released a report saying cost and styling issues are the biggest reasons why people avoid Hybrid and EVs.
However, it’s safe to assume that prices will start to decline as the technology is streamlined.Think about how much a DVD player cost when they first came out. How much does a DVD player cost in 2013?
As for styling, with carmakers like Cadillac getting into the EV segment, you can expect to see sleeker and more design-oriented EVs created in the future.
McGrath Auto is proud to offer fuel efficient EVs and Hybrids to drivers in Iowa City and Cedar Rapids.
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If you’re interested in driving a fuel efficient car, call McGrath Auto at 877-226-0908 to learn more about our fuel-efficient lineup.
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