Electric Vehicle Sales Double in 2013
Compared to the same period in 2012, electric vehicle sales doubled in the first six months of this year. According to this U.S. Energy Department Release, "plug-in electric vehicle (PEV) sales tripled from about 17,000 in 2011 to about 52,000 in 2012. During the first six months of 2013, Americans bought over 40,000 plug-in electric vehicles (PEV), more than twice as many sold during the same period in 2012."
Surely, this sharp rise in sales is due, at least in part, to the reality that it costs on average $1.18 per "gallon" of electricity to power an electric vehicle compared to the national average of $3.49 for the dirty oil that conventional automobiles consume. U.S. consumers can use the Department of Energy's newest tool, the eGallon, to compare the costs of fueling electric vehicles vs. driving on gasoline depending on location.
The U.S Energy Department also reports that sales of modern electric vehicles, which entered the U.S. market in late 2010, are out-pacing those of the early years of hybrid vehicles.
This is good news for our environment and our air quality here in Florida.
Making the switch to electric vehicles will make a distinct and measurable difference in the amount of oil we consume and the amount of tailpipe emissions each one of us are responsible for. Every conventional internal combustion engine on the road that we replace with a zero emission electric vehicle, we are displacing thousands of gallons of gasoline and tons of smog-producing air pollutants — not to mention saving big bucks on our gasoline costs. It's a win-win.
EVs are the cleanest cars around, even after taking into account the electricity needed to charge them. Even better yet, as we retire more coal plants and bring cleaner sources of power online, the emissions produced from charging an electric vehicle will drop even further. But as long as our highways are dominated by gas stations rather than EV-charging stations, it will be very hard for us to take these crucial steps to move beyond oil.
To learn more and see how you can get involved, visit our Florida Healthy Air Campaign Facebook page.