{"id":98938,"date":"2015-09-21T06:50:56","date_gmt":"2015-09-21T10:50:56","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.thedetroitbureau.com\/?p=98938"},"modified":"2015-09-21T06:50:56","modified_gmt":"2015-09-21T10:50:56","slug":"electric-vehicle-sales-hit-1-mil-mark-globally","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thedetroitbureau.com\/2015\/09\/electric-vehicle-sales-hit-1-mil-mark-globally\/","title":{"rendered":"Electric Vehicle Sales Hit 1 Mil Mark: Globally"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"\"<\/a>
The Nissan Leaf is the world's best-selling electric vehicle with more than 200,000 units sold.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

In 2011, President Barack Obama predicted there would be 1 million EVs sold in the U.S. by 2015. He would have been correct if only he had expanded the scope a bit \u2026 to the world.<\/p>\n

More than just a call to action as part of that year\u2019s State of the Union speech, the administration implemented several federal policies aimed at trying to make that happen, including a $7,500 tax credit toward the purchase of an EV.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
Tech Know-How!<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

In total, the government will spend $7.9 billion through 2019 trying to bolster the appeal of and raise the purchase numbers of battery electrics, plug-in hybrids, etc. Critics have been quick to call the effort a failure, and if one only takes a cursory look at the numbers, they would be correct.<\/p>\n

However, a deeper examination shows that despite remarkably low gas prices \u2013 the biggest disincentive to EV purchases \u2013 EV sales are continuing to ramp up in the U.S. and globally. The global number just surpassed 1 million units last month.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
The 2016 Chevrolet Volt will get a 40% boost in its battery-only range, helping to bolster sales.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

As of August 2015 about 985,000 units had been sold worldwide, not including Japanese sales numbers which were not reported yet. That number jumped to an estimated 1,004,000 PEVs though the middle of this month, according to HybridCars.com. The breakdown is about 62% battery electric and 38% plug-in hybrids.<\/p>\n

(Volkswagen, Audi announce plans to \u201celectrify\u201d entire line-up. For more, <\/em><\/strong>Click Here<\/a><\/span><\/strong>.)<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

The U.S. accounts for more than a third of those sales, while China and Japan make up about 15% and 12%, respectively. The surprising country holding down the fourth spot? Norway. \u00a0The Scandinavian country boasts 66,000 plug-in vehicles sold there. The Netherlands rounds out the top five, according to the site.<\/p>\n

The top 10 selling EVs globally, which account for more than 93% of the sales, include:<\/p>\n