Blog Tip (Updated)

Ever wondered how 0 kms Model S end up in countries where Tesla isn't officially represented, like Russia, Romania or Portugal?

Wonder no more, On the Road with Tesla follows one of these cars, in it we see a Model S buyer endeavor, from the website configuration, passing through the Tilburg delivery, to the current status of getting a number plate in Portugal. 

It will be interesting to see how it will develop, the moment it is finally allowed to go on public roads, first impressions, reliability, and for me a very interesting point will be this, how do you service a car that has no nearby service centers? Mmmm...

An important feature, https://ontheroadwithtesla.wordpress.com/ is in English.


UPDATE:

There is a mirror blog of this, also named On the Road with Tesla, but on a different server, (well) written by the wife of this Tesla-owner, documenting their sometimes strange life, like travels searching for superchargers, talking with the random Model S owner, besides other ev-like quirks.

In a way, it reminds what Penny from The Big Bang Theory would write about Sheldon Cooper, Leonard and the rest of the pack, if they were Tesla-fans...

Really interesting, even for people that aren't EV-nerds do not know what a Tesla is.

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EV Volumes Is Born

Over these three years, many people have requested a more complete and corporate-friendly version of EV Sales, with some nice graphics and in-depth analysis, to meet the demand of business-minded needs, a recurring problem, as services given by established companies have left much to be desired.

After several months of preparation, we (Me, Roland and Viktor) are proud to launch EV Volumes.com, the corporate brother of EV Sales!

EVV is not meant to replace EV Sales, but will be complementary to it, the early data will appear always in EVS, and a few weeks later it will have a more professional treatment in EV Volumes, like in this case.

To have an easy understanding of  how each of these websites will be positioned, EV Volumes will be the LinkedIn version of EV Sales "Facebook" account. 

This new endeavor will also help me go full time on this business and with that, track (even) more EV markets in the globe, so the success of  EVV will also mean that EV Sales may go on until 2040, the time when gas-powered cars will have become obsolete.

If you wish to know more, please send us an email to Info@EV-volumes.com. 

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EV Sales Terms of Use

It has come to my knowledge that some people have used data and indeed whole articles of EV Sales in presentations and other type of activities, without referring the source.

From now on there will be a note in the footer of EVS reminding readers that they should inform us whenever they intend to use EV Sales-based content. The information here is and will be free of charge, but nevertheless it is important to know where and how our content is being shared.

"The Content on EV Sales is owned by us or our suppliers and may only be used with our permission."

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EAFO Project

Dear readers,

It is with great pride that i'm happy to announce the start of the European Alternative Fuels Observatory project, as part of the team that is helping to set up this website, i am inviting you to visit the "Under Construction" website and register for the upcoming newsletter, which will have my contribution in it.

Below you will find the official Press Release:

Jose Pontes

ps - This project won't affect EV Sales, this blog will continue in the next years, documenting the shift from the current ICE Age to the upcoming EV Era.

AVERE will lead the EAFO on behalf of the European Commission AVERE has won the tender of the European Commission to build and manage the European Alternative Fuels Observatory. AVERE is the project's coordinator and main partner and the consortium members are: POLIS - a leading association of cities -, the VUB and the consultancy TNO as research and analysis partners and Tobania as IT provider.

With the European Alternative Fuels Observatory, the European Commission intends to provide one central point of reference for data, information and news about alternative fuels in Europe, The short-term focus is on battery electric, hybrid and fuel cell vehicles while natural gas and other alternative fuels will also be covered in a second stage. The Observatory will help support the market development of alternative fuels in the EU and be a key tool for the implementation of Directive 2014/94/EU on the deployment of recharging and refueling stations. The Observatory will integrate all relevant statistical data concerning vehicles and infrastructure, relevant legislation, support and incentives programmes, periodical analyses and general information like news and publications. It will also feature a comprehensive event calendar. The web portal will go live latest in February 2016 and will be updated on a monthly basis. Users can already register at www.eafo.eu in order to receive newsletters and be informed when the portal goes live.

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"Das Diesel" Gate

Some readers have sent me e-mails questioning my thoughts on the current Volkswagen emissions scandal, so here's a few thoughts on this:

Diesel was a technological dead end even before this case

The absolute record for diesel consumption (without hybrid assistance) of a production model has 16 years, it's in the hands of the 1999 Volkswagen Lupo TDI 3L, which, as the name says, averages three liters of diesel consumption per hundred kilometers.

Comparing the 3L with its gasoline direct competitor, the 1.0 Lupo (5.6l/100kms), not only the diesel version was more powerful (61 PS vs 50 PS), it also saved 2.6 liters every 100 kms! 

In 1999, diesel technology was winning the battle hands down...

As for the current best performer in diesel consumption, incidentally another Volkswagen, the Polo TDI Bluemotion averages 3,1 liters/100km, while its gas brother, the TSI Bluemotion, averages 4.1 l/100kms AND is more powerful than the diesel version (95PS vs 75 PS).

So, 16 years after, the diesel advantage has dropped to only one liter in consumption and is now behind its gasoline counterpart in power...And the Polo TSI Bluemotion isn't even the most fuel sipping gas model, to my knowledge, they are the Kolin brothers (Peugeot 108, Citröen C1 and Toyota Aygo) and Fiat 500 Twinair, with 3,8l.

Best Diesel Sipping car on the road: 1999 VW Lupo TDI 3L

So, what happened to diesels to win in the 90's and how did gasoline engines recovered since then?

Same answer to both: Turbos for power and direct injection for consumption.

Turbos became standard with diesel engines in the 90's, and with the addition of direct injection by the end of the decade, diesel engines ended the decade far more advanced and nicer to drive than gas engines, which were generally still relying on atmospheric engines, with low torque and high fuel consumption.

Comparing the european staple for regular cars, in 1999 the average VW Golf TDI had 110 PS/235Nm and made 4.9l/100kms, while its gas brother (1.6) had 101 PS/145Nm and averaged 7.5l/100kms!

So, more power, (much) more torque and saving 2.6 liters per 100 kilometers, there wasn't much discussion on which fuel people should choose, resulting in historic diesel sales throughout the European continent, with consumers growing accustomed to them.

But then the XXI century came and with it, a more environmental awareness across the globe, leading manufacturers to finally start to developing gasoline engines (The leading fuel outside Europe), including equipping them with turbos and direct injection, which lead gas engines to outpace the performance improvements that their diesel counterparts did during the same timeline.

Let's look back at the same average Golf, now in 2015: The 1.6TDI has 110 PS/250 Nm and averages 3.4l/100kms, while its gas competitor 1.0TSI has 115 PS/200 Nm and averages...4.3 liters.

In 16 years, if the diesel version stagnated performance-wise, at least saved 1.5l in fuel consumption, all while the gas version improved its record performance-wise AND at the same time decreased fuel consumption by 3.2 liters! 

So, both are at the same level of performance, while the diesel saves 0.9 liters in every 100 kilometers, but it is also more expensive. Mmmm...Not so easy now, eh?

The Good Ol' Days...

Thanks for the History lesson, but what does it have to do with plug-in vehicles and the current VW emissions case?

This introduction was needed to realize why was Volkswagen so desperate to promote "Clean Diesel" to US consumers that they deliberately tried to cheat regulators and consumers alike, during several years Volkswagen, and european carmakers in general, relied on diesel engines to power their vehicles, disregarding gas engines and leaving alternative technologies, like hybrids and electrics, in the back seat.

But a few years ago, in the US and elsewhere, hybrids became mainstream and plug-in cars were turning out to be the Next Cool Thing, and VW was behind Toyota, Tesla, Nissan and others alike, while even in Europe gas engines were starting to recover ground, with Toyota hybrids leading the way.

VW had to react, but their technology on altenative fuels was years behind, so as an instant band aid to stop the sales bleeding, the german automakers came up with "Clean Diesel" and marketed it as another alternative fuel source, like hybrids or plug-in cars. 

Only, they weren't and we are now at this turning point.

Is this the time you start talking about the impact this has on EV's?

Yes, it is.

Besides the instant impact this has on the Volkswagen Group sales, and the incoming nightmare of lawsuits, fines, buybacks, etc, the lasting results of this will be that we might be witnessing the beggining of the end of the diesel engine era, a sort of meteor that has hit the earth and will lead to their extinction in a few years.

Looking a few years ahead, after Volkswagen (And possibly others) had paid millions to recover from their misdemeanors, diesel engines will have been so discredited that most consumers will prefer other fuel sources for their vehicles (Like electric...) and legislators will want them to be banned from larger urban areas so, especially in Europe, this year might signal the beggining of a escalation for a shift into cleaner fuel sources.

But back to VW, in the middle of all the doom and gloom, this situation has a hidden opportunity for Volkswagen Group, despite being outrageously high priced, their plug-in car sales place VAG as the #2 Automotive Group in the World this year! That's right, Renault-Nissan is #1, with some 50k units, followed by VAG with 32k and BYD, with 31k.

Now, imagine if VW actually tried to sell their plug-ins and on top of that, if it lowered prices to a reasonable level...

What about Tesla? *

I think this will a blessing and a curse at the same time, for the Palo Alto manufacturer:

On the positive side, there will be more buyers willing to trade their diesel-burning powerful-long-journey-bruisers for a clean variety of them, like, say...A Tesla Model S / X, so good news here.

But on the longer term, as more and more buyers turn into Tesla (Especially), (Lexus) hybrids, the several PHEV's arriving soon, or even Fuel Cells, the R&D of established luxury makers will have their eyes definetely set on Tesla and the recent Tesla-Killer concepts from Porsche, Audi, Mercedes, etc will become their #1 priority, enabling them to arrive at showrooms sooner than later, stealing time for Tesla to grow and face them head on, remember, Tesla currently sells 50.000 units against million-plus from each of the Three Marys (Audi, BMW and Mercedes), it's like comparing a baby croc to three adult specimens...

So, to summarize it, regarding EV's, this can only be a good thing, regarding Tesla, in the short term it is a blessing, but could become a curse in the long run.

* - Final question of most of our readers regarding this matter

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Plugin Magazine & EV Sales

 

It’s with great honour that I can say EV Sales is collaborating with Plugin Magazine, an innovative press outlet in Europe that covers brand new technologies and trends, EV's included. Do yourself a favour and check out their website (plugin-magazine.com/).

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EV Distribution - Portugal May 2015

Following a reader suggestion, i made a small study regarding the distribution of EV's in my home country, this is a small sample (70 units) of the 1.300-something EV's registered in Portugal, based on used car websites, so this should only be seen as an indication of how electric vehicles are distributed across the portuguese territory.

For the information to be easier to understand for people not familiar with the local geography, i have divided the country in seven areas: Northwest (Porto, Aveiro, Braga and Viana do Castelo  districts), Northeast (Bragança, Vila Real, Guarda and Viseu), Center (Coimbra, Castelo Branco, Leiria and Santarém), Lisbon Metropolitan Area (Lisbon and Setubal), South (Portalegre, Evora, Beja and Faro), Azores and Madeira.

But let's look at the distribution of the best selling EV's:

Nissan Leaf 

From the snowy mountains of the Northeast to the scorching hot South, the most common EV in Portugal is present across mainland Portugal, being the only EV present in the harsh climate (Cold winters and hot summers) of the Northeast.

Here's how the japanese car is distributed: NW - 4 units; NE - 3; CT - 2; LIS - 4; SO - 2.

Mitsubishi I-Miev triplets (Includes Peugeot iOn and Citroen C-Zero)

It's also spreaded across the mainland, but in this case it is visible the concentration in the major cities, with half of the 10 units concentrated in the Lisbon Metropolitan Area, with an additional three distributed among the NW Braga-Porto-Aveiro industrial cluster and the remaining two distributed by the Center and South.

Renault Twizy

The french quadricycle is quite popular among the more tourism-friendly areas as a rental car, that's why it's present across the seaside areas and in the Azores and Madeira islands.

Here's the sample distribution: LIS - 3 units; CT - 2; MAD - 2; SO - 1; AZ - 1; NW - 1.

BMW i3

Having just two i-dealerships in Portugal (One in Oporto and the other in Lisbon), it isn't surprising that these hot hatches are concentrated in those areas, with three i3 in Lisbon (And the two existing i8's) and two in the northern capital.

There is also one i3 confirmed in the Azores islands, in Ponta Delgada (Regional capital), probably imported from the mainland, and it should be a blast to drive there, with that territory being fertile on narrow mountain roads, a place where the little german car excels.

Renault Zoe

Another car concentrated in the two larger metropolitan areas, with three in Porto (NW) and two in Lisbon, with the last one living further South, in the tourist-friendly Algarve.

It should be noted that the french carmaker has the largest dealership network in Portugal and the fact that these cars are concentrated in urban areas only reinforces the feeling that most of their dealerships aren't really prepared/willing to sell electric vehicles to the general public.


Others

In the more recent arrivals / smaller diffusion models, there are a couple cases worthy of mention, the five Outlander PHEV are more popular in the southern areas (two in the Center, one in Lisbon and two in the South), while the two V60 Plug-In are concentrated in the Northwest, but the reality is that EV's sold in small numbers tend to concentrate in Lisbon, like is the case of the  Smart Fortwo ED, with three out of four living in the Capital's Metropolitan Area and the remaining unit living up in the Northwest (Braga).

It would be interesting to have data on the Plug-In Porches, but looking at the general picture of other high-end EV's (The two BMW i8  reside in Lisbon and there also two Teslas in Lisbon, while the other is registered the Center of the country), it is possible to extract that the expensive plug-ins are also concentrated around Lisbon.

Together with the data above mentioned, this means that the NW industrial belt (Braga-Porto-Aveiro) is behind the curve regarding Lisbon in EV acceptance (16 EV's in NW vs 27 in LIS). 

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Electric Airplanes - A reality in the Future?

My day job and EVS rarely intersect each other, but this was one of those exceptions...

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Help Needed

Dear readers, as EV Sales grows, so does the need for more comprehensive and accurate data, on top of that, plug-ins are spreading to more and more countries and sometimes is difficult to detect and/or extract data from these new markets, so i'm calling for your help, if you can get EV sales data from the below markets, please send me an email (efeelblog@gmail.com), so that we can put them on the map and "Spread the Word". Your help can be anonymous if you want and will be greatly appreciated.

China

It is still uncharted territory, with regular data from dedicated models (ex: BYD Qin), but numbers from plug-in versions of regular cars (ex: Roewe 550 PHEV) are still random. Tesla's numbers are also hard to find and numbers for imported EV's are simply non-existent;

Japan

Data is available on some models, but lacking regular data on others, like the Nissan e-NV200, Prius Plug-In imports, etc, which prevents us from getting a full picture of the EV Scene;

UK

One of EV Sales "Moby Dick's", there's regular data on global volumes from SMMT, but data from individual models is sparse and comes with several months delay, with this market growing by the day (It was the 6th largest this January), it becomes more and more important to know what is going on here.

Latvia

With reports saying that the EV Share is above 1%, there isn't a single clue on which cars are the best sellers here, please contact me as this can be one of those countries where things can really interesting for plug-ins really fast.

India

There is some data regarding the Mahindra Reva E2O performance here, but it is not a regular source and it misses the rest of the electric market, now that the Indian market is seriously considering EV's, it would be great if we could start following this market.

South Korea

There isn't a regular source for data regarding this market, which is a shame considering there are several models selling there (Kia Soul EV, Samsung SM3 ZE, Chevrolet Spark EV, etc) and this is a market with great growth potential. If anyone has access to regular detailed data for South Korea, could you please contact me.

Australia

Another market with tremendous growth potential where numbers still come randomly, which is a shame, now that sales are tripling, this should be one of the markets to follow more closely.

Hong Kong, Czech Republic, Slovakia and Poland

There's only monthly data by dedicated models, if anyone has access to the full data, including ICE-based plug-ins, please contact me;


Markets that require data source:

Luxembourg, Monaco (My guess is that the Porsche 918 is #3, Twizy #2 and Tesla #1), Romania, South Africa, Bulgaria, Brazil, Turkey, Costa Rica and Mexico

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Europe September 2014

The current ranking climber looks like this...

Hurra! Edition

With more than 10.000 units sold in September, the European EV market had the best month of the year and the third best ever, only behind last November (10.565) and December (14.197), which were inflated by the fiscal changes in the Netherlands, so if we only consider regular months, this was best best month ever, while the YTD sales are already ahead of last year (69k vs 67k), so plug-ins are actually growing in Europe, despite what some might say...

Looking at the monthly models ranking, the top 5 is full of records and year bests, the leader Outlander PHEV had its best sales month of the year, the runner-up Leaf has made its best score ever, with 1.986 units (Sunderland assembly line  is finally paying off), the #3 Zoe barely missed a personal best (1.343 vs 1.358 in June '13) and the BMW i3 had its third best score ever.

Pl	Model	Sales
1	Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV	2.453
2	Nissan Leaf	1.986
3	Renault Zoe	1.343
4	BMW i3	967
5	Tesla Model S	748

On the YTD ranking, there's not really much to tell in the front seats, the VW e-Golf had something of an off month, selling just 336 units and being unable to reach the Top 10 yet.

A deserved mention to the BMW i8, #14 in September with 93 units and jumping four positions to #19 YTD, something to be regarded with respect, considering the type of car.

Finally, the Kia Soul EV jumps to #25 YTD (#13 in September with 107 units), which may actually consider that the South Korean automaker is investing for real in Plug-ins and wants to be a major player soon. 

ps - Considering all the new arrivals, this is from now on a Top 30 Edition

Pl	Europe	Sept.	2014	%	'13Pl
1	Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV	2.453	14.670	21	3
2	Nissan Leaf	1.986	11.159	16	1
3	BMW i3	967	7.416	11	12
4	Tesla Model S	748	7.080	10	7
5	Renault Zoe	1.343	6.085	9	2
6	Volkswagen e-Up!	348	4.242	6	11
7	Volvo V60 Plug-In	414	4.042	7	4
8	Renault Kangoo ZE	299	2.802	4	5
9	Renault Twizy	221	1.786	3	10
10	Smart Fortwo ED	280	1.744	3	9
11	Volkswagen e-Golf	336	1.699	2	N/A
12	Bolloré Bluecar	136	888	1	16
13	Toyota Prius Plug-In	72	638	1	15
14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30	Citröen C-Zero Porsche Panamera Plug-In Mitsubishi I-Miev Opel Ampera Peugeot iOn BMW i8 Nissan e-NV200 Goupil G3 Audi A3 e-Tron Peugeot Partner EV Ford Focus Electric Kia Soul EV Citröen Berlingo EV VW Golf GTE Renault Fluence ZE Chevrolet Volt BYD e6	45 27 31 33 41 93 41 20 23 25 37 107 11 20 15 2 7	551 537 523 473 439 307 274 268 250 241 198 129 115 96 92 65 43	1 1 1 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0	12 21 14 8 18 N/A N/A 17 N/A 22 24 N/A N/A N/A 19 13 N/A
	TOTAL	10.216	69.988

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September Preview - France, Norway and Canada

Additions like these are making it harder to get the full picture

As plug-in markets grow in size and complexity, with ever-more new models appearing, it is becoming increasingly difficult to give you the full data at the first days of the month, as such, i have started this new column, entitled "Preview", where i will show raw data of some of the most important markets, as an appetizer of the complete article that will arrive later in the month.


France - Record numbers to present in the Auto Show?

Pl	Model	Sept. Sales
1	Renault Zoe	914
2	Nissan Leaf	294
3	Renault Kangoo ZE e)	250
4	Bolloré Blue Car	136
5	Smart Fortwo ED	64

Norway - Leaf beats for the first time the e-Golf

Pl	Model	Sept. Sales
1	Nissan Leaf	367
2	VW e-Golf e)	270
3	Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV	192
4	VW e-Up! e)	180
5	BMW i3	149

Canada - Smart and Tesla are getting closer to the top.

Pl	Model	Sept. Sales
1	Chevrolet Volt	145
2	Nissan Leaf	113
3	Smart Fortwo ED e)	80
4	Tesla Model S e)	70
5	BMW i3 e)	30

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EV Business Case - Incentives (Updated)

Something that has been asked frequently by our viewers is a list of incentives for plug-in car buying in the different markets, so here's a small report of incentives in a number of markets:


Belgium

Companies can deduct 120% for EVs, private buyers no longer haver incentives.  of a new electric vehicle. There is also a tax deduction up to 40% for investments in recharging stations, to a maximum of €250.

Brazil

Import duty on cars in Brazil is 35%, but plug-ins only pay 2.5%. In São Paulo city owners of electric drive cars with a purchase price up to R$150,000 (~ US$65,200) are entitled to a 50% reimbursement of the annual car ownership tax (IPVA) for five years up to a total of R$10,000.

Canada

In Ontario there is of a rebate between CA$5,000 (4 kWh battery) to CA$8,500 (17 kWh or more) (~US$5,050 to US$8,650), depending on battery size, for purchasing or leasing a new PEV. The province also introduced green-coloured licence plates for exclusive use of plug-ins, that allow PEV owners to travel in the province's carpool lanes until 2015 regardless of the number of passengers in the vehicle. Also, owners are eligible to use provincially-owned parking lots.

Quebec's government earmarked CA$50 million(US$52.3 million) for a rebate program, and the maximum rebate amount is slowly reduced every year until a maximum of CA$3,000 in 2015, but the rebates will continue until the fund runs out. There is also a ceiling for the maximum number of eligible vehicles: 10,000 for all-electric vehicles and plug-in hybrids, and 5,000 for conventional hybrids.

China

A September 2013 joint announcement by the National Development and Reform Commission and finance, science, and industry ministries confirmed that the central government will provide a maximum of US$9,800 toward the purchase of an all-electric passenger vehicle and up to US$81,600 for an electric bus. The subsidies are part of the government's efforts to address China's problematic air pollution.

Colombia

All-electric cars and other green vehicles are exempted from import duties.

Costa Rica

The electric cars will be exempt from import duties and the government has agreed to deploy charging stations in strategic locations in the city of San José.

France

An electric car sold for €23 333 including VAT is eligible for the maximum bonus of 6.300 euros. The emission level for this maximum bonus was raised to 20 gr/km or less. Cars with emission levels between 21 to 60 gr/km are eligible to a bonus of up to €4,000 and 150€ for emissions between 61 to 90 gr/km.

Germany

Electric vehicles and plug-ins in Germany are exempt from the annual circulation tax for a period of five years from the date of their first registration.

The private use of a company car is treated as taxable income in Germany and measured at a flat monthly rate of 1% of the vehicle's gross list price. So plug-in electric cars have been at a disadvantage since their price tag can be as much as double that of a car using a conventional internal combustion engine due to the high cost of the battery. In June 2013 German legislators approved a law that ends the tax disadvantage for corporate plug-in electric cars. The law allows private users to offset the list price with €500 per unit of battery size, expressed in kWh. The maximum offset was set at €10,000 corresponding to a 20 kWh battery. 

In August 2014, the federal government announced its plan to introduce non-monetary incentives through new legislation to be effective by 1 February 2015. The proposed user benefits include measures to privilege battery-powered cars, fuel cell vehicles and some plug-in hybrids, just like Norway does, by granting local governments the authority to allow these vehicles into bus lanes, and to offer free parking and reserved parking spaces in locations with charging points. Not all plug-in hybrids will qualify for the benefits, only those with CO
2 emissions of no more than 50 g/km or with electric range of over 30 km (19 mi) are eligible.

Mexico

Electric cars are exempted from the road rationing implemented by plate number to restrict access to Mexico City to improve its air quality

Netherlands

 Instead of direct purchase subsidies for electric vehicles in the Netherlands, the government established total exemption of the registration fee and road taxes, which translated in savings of approximately €5,324 for private car owners over four years and €19,000 for corporate owners over five years. Other vehicles were also exempt from these taxes if they emit less than 95 g/km for diesel-powered vehicles, or less than 110 g/km for gasoline-powered vehicles. The exemption from the registration tax ended, and from January 1, 2014, all-electric vehicles pay a 4% registration fee and plug-in hybrids a 7% fee.

Buyers also have access to parking spaces in Amsterdam, so they avoid the current wait for a parking place in Amsterdam, which can reach up to 10 years in some parts of the city. Free charging is also offered in public parking spaces. Other factors contributing to the rapid adoption of plug-in electric vehicles are the relative small size of the country (the Netherlands stretches about 100 mi (160 km) east to west); a long tradition of environmental activism; high gasoline prices (US$8.50 per gallon as of January 2013), which make the cost of running a car on electricity five times cheaper; and also some EV leasing programs provide free or discounted gasoline-powered vehicles for those who want to take a vacation driving long distances. With all of these incentives and tax breaks, plug-in electric cars have similar driving costs than conventional cars.

Norway

Norway set the goal to reach 50,000 ZEV by 2018. Among the existing incentives, pure electrics are exempt in Norway from all non-recurring vehicle fees, including purchase taxes, which are extremely high for ordinary cars, and 25% VAT on purchase, together making electric car purchase price competitive with conventional cars. As an example, by early 2013 the price of the top selling Nissan Leaf is 240,690 krone (around US$42,500) while the purchase price of the VW Golf is 238,000 Krone about US$42,000). Electric vehicles are also exempt from the annual road tax, all public parking fees, and tolls (including domestic ferries), as well as being able to use bus lanes.

PHEVs had been more expensive than equivalent gasoline and diesel-powered cars because they paid a higher weight tax due to the additional weight of the battery pack and the accompanying electric components. Because the Norwegian tax system levies higher taxes to heavier vehicles, plug-in hybrids were more expensive than similar conventional cars due to the extra weight of the battery pack and its additional electric components. However, in June 2013 the government approved a tax reduction for plug-in hybrids effective on July 1, 2013, that is expected to improve PHEV sales as the existing weight allowance for HEV and plug-in hybrids of 10% was increased to 15% for PHEVs.

Portugal

Electric cars are exempt from registration tax, annual road tax and has free parking in certain areas.

Spain

Several regional government grant incentives for the purchase of electric and hybrid vehicles. Electric vehicles are eligible to a €6,000 tax incentive and hybrids to €2,000.

UK

The Plug-In Car Grant program reduces the up-front cost of eligible cars by providing a 25% grant towards the cost of new plug-in cars capped at GB£5,000 (US$7,800). Both private and business fleet buyers are eligible for this grant, which is received at the point of purchase and the subsidy is claimed back by the manufacturer afterwards.

All BEVs and eligible PHEVs qualify for a 100% discount from the London Congestion Charge. As of April 2014, approved PHEVs include the BMW i3 with range extender, BMW i8, Chevrolet Volt, Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV, Porsche Panamera S E-Hybrid, Porsche 918, Toyota Prius Plug-in Hybrid, Vauxhall Ampera, and Volvo V60 Plug-in Hybrid.

USA

The federal tax credit for new plug-in electric vehicles is worth $2,500 plus $417 for each kilowatt-hour of battery capacity over 5 kWh, with the total amount of the credit allowed for a new plug-in to be $7,500.

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EV Sales Stats

While we wait for China numbers, the most anticipated market of the season (Will Kandi and BYD continue to grow indefinitely, how will Tesla and Zotye behave, will there be any new model arriving?), i've decided to share with you some of EV Sales statistics, which show a stable growth in views since Day One, for which i am thankful to all of you guys (And girls), and it gives me the drive to continue with this project, 265.000 views later.



Fig. 1 - Number of views since the beginning

Number of Views by Country Country Views France 45280 USA 38729 Germany 35535 Japan 7384 South Korea 4619 Russia 4017 Sweden 3849

As you can see, there are a couple of surprises here, if France and the US doesn't surprise anybody for being on top, Germany is a rather surprising Number Three, just like Japan in #4, i don't have much feedback coming from those parts, but it's nice to see that EVS has a following there (By the way, does anyone there knows the sales numbers of the Accord Plug-In there?).

But the biggest surprise to me is the Fifth Place of South Korea, their home market isn't that big and it wasn't been much mentioned here, but nevertheless it is rewarding to know that they keep following us. By the way, does any of you have the SK numbers? It seems that my source there had dried out...

Finally, Russia. Despite a symbolic (To say the most) market, there are many followers there of electric cars scene in general, and EV Sales in particular, with much feedback coming from there, i must thank our Russian followers for their enthusiasm, especially considering that it must not be easy to EVangelize (Joke intended) their compatriots to plug-in cars.

Article	Views
China July 2014 23/08/2014, 1 comentário	948
EV Business Case Q1 2014 19/04/2014, 1 comentário	940
Europe May 2014 26/06/2014, 8 comentários	895
Norway July 2014 (Updated) 04/08/2014, 16 comentários	735
World Top 20 June 2014 (Special Edition) 30/07/2014, 9 comentários	662
Norway August 2014 (Updated) 04/09/2014, 8 comentários	650
Europe January 2014 28/02/2014, 2 comentários	640
China June 2014 (Second Update) 17/07/2014, 5 comentários	612
Europe July 2014 (Updated) 27/08/2014, 8 comentários	609
Norway June 2014 (Updated) 06/07/2014, 2 comentários	578

Looking by most popular articles, China (#1 and #8) proves to be the "IT" thing of the moment, with many stock websites citing EV Sales in Tesla and Kandi articles. Yes, something important is happening in this market...

Next in #2 we have the sales history of plug-ins in Norway, back from the 90's until today, this is something that i will look up to do something similar to other markets in the future.

The Norway and Europe articles are also popular, with the first one being analyzed by many like a case study for the future in other EV markets.

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