All-Time High Demand for Electric Cars
Semiconductor shortages, high prices, and a generally tough car market aren’t deterring drivers who want to go electric. While the U.S. car market shrunk overall in the first quarter of 2022, sales of electric vehicles rose by almost 60 per cent, according to industry publication Automotive News. The 59 per cent gain over the same period in 2021 is remarkable because of the many hurdles automakers face in sourcing chips, batteries, and other components required to build an EV.
Electric vehicles now account for 4.6 per cent of the light vehicle market – a significant gain compared not only to last year, but also nearly double the EV share in 2019.
What are the Best-Selling Electric Cars?
It’s no surprise that Tesla, the longest-established pure electric brand, leads electric car sales in the U.S., with almost 114,000 vehicles sold across America in the first quarter of 2022. Tesla’s broad lineup of EVs, with two SUVs and two sedans, spans a broad range of price points and sizes, and its supercharger network is well-known. The U.S.-made Model 3, Model Y, Model S and Model X have become familiar sights in U.S. cities, and often outsell many established gasoline-powered players.
Kia secured second place in the EV sales race. While its 8,450 vehicles sold in Q1 pales in comparison to Tesla’s number, demand for the excellent EV6 has really picked up, with the first vehicles landing in excited customers’ hands. The compact, versatile Niro EV has also seen an up-tick in demand, and the introduction of a revised version earlier this year will also drive further sales.
Ford was in third place, delivering just over 7,400 electric vehicles across the U.S. in the first quarter. The majority of these vehicles were the new Mustang Mach-E crossover, a vehicle we at GreenCars have tested and rated very highly. The exciting F-150 Lightning all-electric pickup truck has just started to reach customers’ hands, with just over 50 delivered between the start of the year and the end of March. We expect this number to grow exponentially, as Ford has over 200,000 orders for the Lightning; Ford’s struggle will be sourcing enough components to keep up with the insatiable demand for its fast, capable, and powerful electric pickup.
Hyundai also had a successful first quarter in 2022, with almost 7,000 electric vehicles delivered – more than two and a half times the number of electric cars it delivered in the same period in 2021. The all-new Ioniq 5, a spacious family crossover with excellent range, accounted for over 6,200 of those registrations, followed by the popular Kona electric small crossover.
Nissan, a pioneer in the electric space, having introduced the Leaf over 10 years ago, sold over 4,000 vehicles – not bad for a small city car with relatively limited range. The introduction of the Ariya electric SUV later this year should significantly bolster the Japanese brand’s numbers. Sales of Volkswagen’s new ID.4 electric SUV hit almost 3,000, almost 10 times the number it delivered a year ago.
Sales from new pure-EV brands are also worth noting. Polestar, a pure electric sub-brand of Volvo, sold almost 2,400 of its Polestar 2 sedan; Rivian delivered over 700 of its innovative R1T pickup truck, and Lucid delivered over 300 of its high-end Lucid Air, with over 500 miles of range.
Going Electric Has Never Made More Sense
The sales growth is an indicator not just of increasing acceptance of EVs as a viable daily transport solution, but also of drivers realizing how much money they can save by going electric. With fuel prices at an all-time high, going electric has never been more attractive – the more you drive, the more you can save by driving an EV compared to a gasoline or diesel vehicle.
Are you ready to go electric? GreenCars is here to help. You can research your next drive in our buyer’s guide, use our incentive tool to determine which rebates are available to you, and even source a home charger and find an electrician.
