Sales of electric cars continue to increase this year, according to EVs. Although some results have not yet been reported, the site estimates that 50 percent more battery and plug-in hybrid EVs found homes in October 2017 than the previous year. And head and shoulders above them all is the Chevrolet Bolt EV.
Chevy sold 2,871 of them in October, making it the best-selling EV of the month by a slight margin. The next closest is the Toyota Prius Prime, which recorded 1,626 sales. That means the Bolt EV is now the second best-selling EV for the year now at just over 17,000 sold—not bad for a vehicle that only went on sale in all 50 states in the second half of the year. .
Unsurprisingly, I’ve started to see a lot more of them in the DC area in the past few weeks, but that’s probably pointless other than as a casual observation. Bolt EV sales are likely coming at the expense of the Volt, which recorded its worst month of 2017, with only 1,362 sold.
Tesla always has a bad October
The Tesla Model S is the best-selling EV of the year to date and will keep that crown at the end of the year—though that’s not guaranteed. To wrap up its terrific Q3 report on Wednesday, we noted that even when you add the month’s Model S (1,120), Model X (850), and Model 3 (145) sales together, that’s still hundreds of vehicles that less than the Bolt. Tesla usually delivers fewer cars to the US in the first month of each quarter; as long as that design exists, the Model S’s status is safe. That’s pretty amazing when you consider that even the cheapest Model S isn’t cheap.
But on yesterday’s earnings call, Elon Musk revealed that S (and Model X) production has been reduced to bring in additional resources to bear on the Model 3’s production woes. That leaves the $40,000 Bolt EV at least an outside chance of catching up A more expensive sedan.
PHEV wins
A notable surprise is the strong performance by Chrysler’s Pacifica Hybrid. It was nearly 1,200 in October and currently has the PHEV minivan segment all to itself. I had the chance to drive one briefly a few weeks ago, but by the time I got behind the wheel, its battery was dead. Regardless, it’s enough to convince me that we need to spend a few days with one for a proper review.
As of Wednesday morning, Inu EVs is still waiting for BMW’s numbers. I’m very curious to see how the 530e does—it had a solid September, which should be based on the week we just spent with one for the upcoming review. For that, you will need to wait for another week or so.