Automakers Have Sold Way More Plug-In Electric Cars Than You Thought

A milestone figure has just been achieved.

Times are changing in the auto industry. The move from gasoline-engined vehicles to electric powertrains is very much underway. Although EV sales only account for a small percentage of new overall vehicle sales at the moment, plug-in electric vehicle sales have just hit a milestone, though one that’s three years late.

Inside EVs reports that thanks to the 45,000 plug-in vehicles sold last month in the US, such as the Nissan Leaf, Chevrolet Volt and Bolt, and Tesla Model 3, the cumulative sales for all plug-in vehicles has just hit one million.

This is the total sales figure that began back in December 2010, nearly eight years ago, when the first generation Nissan Leaf and Chevrolet Volts were delivered to customers.

Inside EVs, as the name strongly suggests, claims it has tracked plug-in EV sales ever since. Here’s their explanation for how these sales were tracked:

“Technically, our tally of mainstream models indicates almost 999,500 (since December 2010 through the end of September 2018), but first – it’s partially estimated (the error is within few thousands or 0.5% we believe) and secondly – there is are less than a few thousand road-legal plug-ins outside of our mainstream tracking (like the Tesla Roadster) that have been sold (since 2008).”

By the end of last month and the first several days of this month, there’s a very good chance the US crossed the 1 million vehicle threshold. But what about the part about being three years late in meeting this goal?

Well, the US government previously set that 1 million EV goal by the end of 2015. Aside from Tesla, Nissan, and Chevrolet, other plug-in electric cars that also contributed to meet this goal include the Ford Fusion Energi, C-Max Energi, Focus Electric, Chevy Spark EV, and Cadillac ELR and CT6 PHV.

Now that luxury brands such as Audi and Mercedes-Benz have joined the EV market, we’re bound to see not only more luxury EVs but also additional mainstream pure electrics as well as plenty of plug-in hybrids. Are you ready for this new powertrain tech era?