As popularity for green solutions continues to rise, electric vehicles are quickly surpassing hybrid vehicles across the board. Now that long range EVs are hitting the market, auto manufacturers are scrambling to keep up with demand. What’s better than an environmentally friendly, money-saving vehicle that also has a longer range than earlier models? Not many vehicles can compete with that.
Tesla is no longer the only EV manufacturer with a cult following. Although drivers may have noticed an uptick in them on the road, Audi and Nissan have also extended their technology to offer long range electric vehicles. Nissan has rolled out a new LEAF model this year, boasting zero tailpipe emissions and 110 kWh motor, fully electric. Although it may not look as futuristic as the Model S, it definitely competes performance wise.
The Future is Here
With more automakers focusing solely on electric vehicles, it’s no surprise that over 40 vehicles featured at the 2019 New York International Auto Show this month, were fully electric or hybrid. As legislators continue to offer incentives for drivers who purchase “green” vehicles, buyers have gone all-in. The main incentive, though, is still the focus on offering environmentally friendly options; thus the push for fully electric vehicles.
Although it may be difficult to believe, 20 years have already gone by since Toyota spearheaded the American hybrid market with its Toyota Prius. Since then, almost every large automaker has followed suit and focused on creating best-selling hybrids and electric vehicles. However, as of the last two years, many manufacturers are focusing only on EVs; taking their hybrid vehicles off the market and discontinuing manufacturing of them.
Why Are EVs Taking Over?
The biggest downfall of EVs when they first launched was the limited range a driver could go on a single charge. Once Tesla rolled out the 200 mile range Model S, drivers made it clear through demand that this was a welcome change. Thus, other automakers began chasing the same popularity Tesla had found. In fact, just this month, Ford invested $500 million in electric car company, Rivian. Ford hopes to take Tesla down with a fully-electric Ford model, with Rivian’s help of course. The move was after Amazon and other companies already invested $700 million in Rivian, according to Green Car Reports.
All things aside, it still doesn’t explain why electric vehicles have seemed to trump hybrids. A few reasons why EVs are taking over hybrids when it comes to the number of sales are:
- More variety of electric vehicle models
Short range anxiety has lapsed thanks to long-range EVs - Better reliability than internal combustion engines
Lesser components than in multi-speed engines
Final Thoughts
Whether you’re just breaking into the world of hybrids and EVs, understanding your options is important. Be sure to follow The Hybrid Geek’s blog for more interesting tidbits and all things electric!
