The enthusiast group Plug In America noted that U.S. sales of plug-in electric cars (either pure electrics or plug-in hybrids) will pass a significant milestone a month ago (May 2013). The 100,000 sales mark was reached just two and a half years after their introduction to the market in December 2010. Plug In America is commemorating the “historic” moment with an award contest and by launching a counter on its website that tracks EV sales. The counter is updated using sales data from the most recent published reports.

“Our current estimate, based on monthly sales figures from automakers, is that the 100,000th highway-capable plug-in vehicle will be sold on May 20,” said Tom Saxton, Plug In America’s chief science officer. “We are calling this the #PIA100K mark, and we are excited to see the continued growth of the market.”

The group also cited other side notes of the sales milestone:

• More than a quarter-million people are exposed daily to the benefits of electric transportation.
• Nissan dealerships in some select markets have reported that the Leaf has outsold all other Nissan models for particular sales periods this year.
• Tesla’s Model S is outselling the Mercedes-Benz S-Class (as noted in the Clean Fleet Report story from May 19) and other luxury competitors–the BMW 7 series and the Audi A8–for the first four months of the year.
• Chevy Volt drivers alone have logged over 187 million electric miles.
• The plug-in vehicle market is approaching 48 percent annual growth with both Battery Electric (BEV) and Plug-in Hybrid (PHEV) vehicles finding growing interest.
• The plug-in vehicle adoption rate exceeds the adoption rate of hybrid vehicles over the same time frame in their early market introduction.
• The domestic EV fleet now offers over 2,000 megawatts of battery storage, which may offer significant opportunities for the future management of our electrical grid and the increasing role of intermittent renewable energy sources
• Manufacturers making EVs now include Nissan, Tesla, GM, Ford, Honda, Mitsubishi, Toyota, BMW, Mercedes, and Fiat (see CFR article, The Top 10 Electric Vehicles You can Buy-Finally). These plug-in cars have received a wealth of consumer and industry awards.

Plug In America board member Barry Woods offered his take on the 100,000th sale in a recent Plug In America blog post. Here are some of his thoughts:

FORD FUSION PLUG-IN ENTERS GROWING MARKET

“Even as recently as six months ago, when I would go into auto dealerships to sell (electric vehicle) chargers, they would listen politely and tell me they had sold very few Volts or Leafs and their customers weren’t interested in charging stations.

“Now when I go into auto dealers, they invite me back to speak to their sales staff and discuss charging as an issue and what their customers will need to make better use of the car’s range capabilities.  Anecdotally, in March in Portland’s metro area, Nissan dealers collectively sold more 2013 Leafs than any other model- including the Altima- over 65 units between the four major dealerships. Tesla’s stock is up over 50% since the beginning of the year.  24,551 PEVs have been sold this year through April, practically matching the entire PEV [plug-in vehicle] sales for all of 2011.

“Over 95,000 PEVs have now been sold. We were correct about the prospects for growth of PEV technology, as their sales progress outpacing the growth of the hybrid vehicle over its first three years.  We were correct in believing that the American consumer would accept an alternative choice besides gasoline if the technology delivered performance and savings over the long haul.  A virtuous market- and policy-based cycle has developed to bring down prices and spur R&D. We appreciate that these vehicles are not just “green,” they are advanced vehicle technology creating better transportation choices and superior driving experiences.”

The sales are exciting, particularly for the enthusiastic early adopters of this technology. But, to keep the achievement in perspective, after more than a decade on the market hybrid vehicles account for only about 3% of the overall automotive market. Some analysts questioned whether plug-in models would take away sales from the non plug-in hybrid segment, but that doesn’t appear to be the case. While Toyota’s vast array of hybrid vehicles have seen decreased sales, the slack has been picked up by other entrants in the category, including Ford, Kia and General Motors as well as new models from VW and BMW. Additionally, it should be noted that the vast majority of plug-in sales are in California, the state that has mandated automakers to produce zero or near-zero-emission vehicles. Some of the plug-ins are not even available in other states while others are available only as lease vehicles, but not for sale.

Still, the 100,000 sales mark is significant, but it’s only the first step in a long road toward a mass market for plug-in electric cars. Keep in mind that the best-selling vehicle in America, the Ford F-Series pickup, sells that many models in less than two months, not two years. And keep in mind that traditional engines are getting more and more sophisticated and efficient, posing another challenge until purchase prices on electric cars come down. So celebrate, then buckle down for the task is just beginning.

This article originally appeared in Clean Fleet Report (www.cleanfleetreport.com). Used by persmission.

The relationship between Americans (I can't speak for other cultures, but I suspect this at least crosses the Atlantic) and cars is a special one. The first bonding, if you will, comes as a teenager approaches the age of aquiring first a learner's permit, then a full driver's license. The cars from that age become special in the mind of the new driver, particularly those beyond the reach of the novice of ordinary means.

I was lucky, coming of driving age during what most automotive critics routinely label as the glory days of the 20th century for cars--the 1960s. Muscle cars reigned and quirky sports cars from Europe were available and we hadn't yet focused on the negative aspects of the internal combustion engine.

The names alone evoke the time. GTO. MGB. Road Runner. Alfa Romeo. Cyclone. TR6. Javelin. The list could continue for pages. That alone signifies what an incredible time it was. 

Like most of my contemporaries, those enticing nameplates were well beyond my financial reach, but they remain to this day my automotive icons. My stories of the cars of that day, whether or not I actually got to drive them, continue to entertain succeeding generations.

But, I would propose that the driver coming of age this decade (2010-20) may have stumbled into a new golden age. It's a different time; in my day, the automotive discussion was all about performance and style and the currency was measured in 0-60 or slalom times, fuel injection and cubic inches. Now, the talk is as likely to run to grams/mile of CO2, esoteric battery chemistry or issues such as whether you want to own or simply rent a car.    

The new choice is not V6 or V8, but EcoBoost or CNG, Clean Diesel or Plug-in Hybrid. The choices go on and on and will continue to expand in the coming years. Already in Brazil the typical choice for their tri-fuel vehicles is: gasoline, ethanol or CNG.

More choice will be confusing for many consumers, but I think the coming generations will embrace it, make it the new normal and help usher in a new era of glory days. 

Chicago is one of the four major auto shows in the U.S. (along with Los Angeles, Detroit & New York, chronologically coming third) and has the reputation as the biggest consumer show, drawing up to a million visitors from the metropolitan area to view the latest cars and trucks. 

LA and Detroit were full of "green" cars -- electrics, hybrids, plug-in hybrids, clean diesels, fuel cells -- and featured fanciful concepts and soon-to-be on the market production versions to whet the appetite of show visitors. The media previews focused on the same vehicles and themes. The casual observer could be excused if he/she left with the impression that a major shift was on in vehicle propulsion and fuels. Not that there weren't the usual contingent of performance cars and trucks, but they tended to fade into the background of coverage.

Then we get to Chicago and it seems as those it's back to business as usual. Toyota introduces the new Avalon; Chevy a news Suburban SUV, Ford its Edge SUV and Honda its next generation Odyssey minivan.

Oh, everyone mentioned fuel economy (and how the latest models were better) and Ford also had electric and CNG versions of its Transit Connect commercial vehicle (and Kia even had a plug-in concept car), but the vibe of the press preview was decidedly deja vu. The view forward that was presented by auto makers was sharply focused on what might be sold this year and next -- and it was the good old internal combustion engine.

But in discussion with some environmentally minded friends at the show, we stumbled on an interesting statistic. A one mpg increase in the fleet average of new vehicles has an order of magnitude more positive impact (reduction) of petroleum use, greenhouse gas production and overall emissions than a million new electric vehicles on the market (a number not expected for more than a decade).

From there we got to talking about what can be done to increase the efficiency of the current fleet of vehicles (rather than just replacing them), noting one press conference at the show where Bridgestone claimed its new eco tires could increase fuel economy by 4 percent compared to traditional tires. Bridgestone Ecopia Tires 

Of course, those tires are more expensive than regular ones (just like hybrid or clean diesel cars), but the consumer who does the math will find they pay back not only their extra cost, but even the whole cost with reduced fuel use. So, are you ready to spend more to save more?