EV Sales 2014

Sesshoumaru

I'm not sure if it will be a continuing trend in 2014, but just picking the current most popular EV, sales have been much better this year.



There also seems to good few secondhand Leafs being imported privately from the UK over the last few months. I have been speaking with some new owners over the last few months and they all seem to be extremely happy with their EVs. I can't imagine February being as good, but I would think sales should be generally good this year.

Excellent, I wonder how much of that was down to me ?

50 isn't a huge amount but they sales seem to be gaining traction.

It will be interesting to see how many buy the I3, E-Golf and the Mercedes B class EV.

But it's nice to see that there were more sold in Jan than all of last year.

Global ev sales are predicted to explode this year.

So the Leaf sold 50 and Alfa 3 total car sales ?

naughtysmurf

It's interesting alright, I submitted an application for the ESB great Electric drive today, if your not in......
Would be interesting to drive one for four months to see how it worked out.

I wouldn't bother applying for the great electric drive again, not after last time.

People that knew people on the inside were the ones selected that were told to do presentations and the likes that was never a requirment of the scheme in the first place.

Sitec

Good ratio for Ireland, Leaf UK sold 230 and Leaf IRL 51. Stark contrast in comparison to population size.

Nixer Jim

[Deleted User] wrote: »

So the Leaf sold 50 and Alfa 3 total car sales ?

That is the saddest of saddest things I've read in a very long time.

The electric car is more than likely the future, the ICE car is probably soon to be the past. The leaf is still disgusting .

Sitec

Nixer Jim wrote: »

That is the saddest of saddest things I've read in a very long time.

The electric car is more than likely the future, the ICE car is probably soon to be the past. The leaf is still disgusting .

In fairness the Irish market is not a reflection on world car sales.

jca

Deleted User wrote: »

Excellent, I wonder how much of that was down to me ?

50 isn't a huge amount but they sales seem to be gaining traction.

It will be interesting to see how many buy the I3, E-Golf and the Mercedes B class EV.

But it's nice to see that there were more sold in Jan than all of last year.

Global ev sales are predicted to explode this year.

Gaining traction......Good one:pac::pac:

Nixer Jim

Nixer Jim wrote: »

That is the saddest of saddest things I've read in a very long time.

The electric car is more than likely the future, the ICE car is probably soon to be the past. The leaf is still disgusting .

The Leaf isn't a looker, but I wouldn't go as far as to call it disgusting.

MK II prius is uglier !

Sitec

Deleted User wrote: »

The Leaf isn't a looker, but I wouldn't go as far as to call it disgusting.

MK II prius is uglier !

It looks well in black , the trademark baby blue isn't as nice. The interior is slick, really upmarket and "different" feel to it. It feels like you're driving something different.

Sitec

Sitec wrote: »

It looks well in black , the trademark baby blue isn't as nice. The interior is slick, really upmarket and "different" feel to it. It feels like you're driving something different.

I actually like the Leaf in grey, black isn't bad either but it shows up every chip and scratch.




I like the interior of the Mk 1.5 a lot more than the bright interior of the older one.

naughtysmurf

Deleted User wrote: »

Excellent, I wonder how much of that was down to me ?

There is a rumour going around that there is a mad fella in Kildare with fifty Nissan Leaf's in a shed out the back

naughtysmurf

naughtysmurf wrote: »

There is a rumour going around that there is a mad fella in Kildare with fifty Nissan Leaf's in a shed out the back

Wish it were true, I'd take just one !

Drummerboy08

Slightly OT, but why can't a manufacturer build a "normal" looking EV? I like the concept behind it and if my daily commute suited one, I'd seriously consider it.

However the actual look of the car puts me right off - it's not only the Leaf, but the Fluence EV is awful looking, the I3 is no better, and the Mitsubishi isn't exactly a looker.

Why not make an EV that looks like a Seat Leon, or a Mazda 3? Many people (me included) don't want to stand out from the crowd, which is what these current EV's will cause. I genuinely think this is holding many people back from purchasing an EV.

naughtysmurf

Drummerboy08 wrote: »

Slightly OT, but why can't a manufacturer build a "normal" looking EV? I like the concept behind it and if my daily commute suited one, I'd seriously consider it.

However the actual look of the car puts me right off - it's not only the Leaf, but the Fluence EV is awful looking, the I3 is no better, and the Mitsubishi isn't exactly a looker.

Why not make an EV that looks like a Seat Leon, or a Mazda 3? Many people (me included) don't want to stand out from the crowd, which is what these current EV's will cause. I genuinely think this is holding many people back from purchasing an EV.

Tend to agree with you, they mostly look odd, I don't think the Fluence EV looks much different from the regular one though

Drummerboy08

naughtysmurf wrote: »

Tend to agree with you, they mostly look odd, I don't think the Fluence EV looks much different from the regular one though

It doesn't look any different really, but it's still a horrifically ugly car.

naughtysmurf

Drummerboy08 wrote: »

It doesn't look any different really, but it's still a horrifically ugly car.

We have a 'regular' Fluence, it took a while for it to grow on me, looks wise but I quite like it now, I think it's the best looking EV of the bunch & would be the one I'd buy if it was based on looks alone but if they still have the battery pack in the boot it would put me off because it would be like the battery was just lobbed into the boot as an afterthought and hey presto an EV

The Leaf seems to be the trail blazer but it's not the prettiest, could I live with it, I don't know, maybe I could grow to love it

To appeal to the younger gen, the designers will have to get the finger out.

Sesshoumaru

No one has ever come over to ask about my black Nissan Leaf unless I'm plugging it in. The Nissan Leaf looks pretty much similar to most other Nissan cars. I personally think the styling is quite okay and its grown on me a bit over the years. Definitely you don't stand out in one, maybe the light blue one used in advertising? Otherwise I never felt it stood out at all.

Sesshoumaru

Drummerboy08 wrote: »

Slightly OT, but why can't a manufacturer build a "normal" looking EV? I like the concept behind it and if my daily commute suited one, I'd seriously consider it.

However the actual look of the car puts me right off - it's not only the Leaf, but the Fluence EV is awful looking, the I3 is no better, and the Mitsubishi isn't exactly a looker.

Why not make an EV that looks like a Seat Leon, or a Mazda 3? Many people (me included) don't want to stand out from the crowd, which is what these current EV's will cause. I genuinely think this is holding many people back from purchasing an EV.

Well there is the new Mercedes, which looks exactly like its ICE version

http://www.topgear.com/uk/car-news/mercedes-benz-b-class-electric-drive-first-drive-2014-02-06

How much power?

174bhp and 251lb ft of torque, and a top speed limited to 100mph (to conserve battery life), which is quite a considerable step down from the Model S's 400-odd-horsepower output. But then, it was never going to be a 400bhp electric B-Class, because Top Gear isn't in charge at Mercedes. Mercedes is, and anyway, this thing will sprint from 0-62mph in 7.9 seconds via a single-speed gearbox, which is plenty for a B-Class.

But is it really a B-Class?

It is. The ED is built on the same production line as the regular B-Class, because it required no major structural change.

The current B-Class was designed with a sort of ‘semi-sandwich' floor, with a very convenient space in the middle of the car underneath the passenger seats, here dubbed ‘Energy Space'. Merc has fitted the 28 kW lithium-ion battery in this little gap, with the motor and rest of the electric gubbins up front in place of a normal combustion engine.

Zonda999

Drummerboy08 wrote: »

Slightly OT, but why can't a manufacturer build a "normal" looking EV? I like the concept behind it and if my daily commute suited one, I'd seriously consider it.

However the actual look of the car puts me right off - it's not only the Leaf, but the Fluence EV is awful looking, the I3 is no better, and the Mitsubishi isn't exactly a looker.

Why not make an EV that looks like a Seat Leon, or a Mazda 3? Many people (me included) don't want to stand out from the crowd, which is what these current EV's will cause. I genuinely think this is holding many people back from purchasing an EV.

Couldn't agree more, thats why I think cars like the VW e-Golf are the future, normal cars electrified

naughtysmurf

Personally I think they look 'odd' but I've only seen the rare Leaf in passing or on google images, I will get to a Nisssan dealer to have a closer look though.

Matt Simis

At numbers so low that the chart and any projected trend is statistically irrelevant. Better to look at the UK numbers year on year and also take into account any seasonality effects such as general market gain or losses by all brands.

galwaytt

No one will be rushing out to buy an i3 at €41k+ ......

As mentioned, why new EV tech can't have some semblance of style escapes me. It costs no more to design a nice as a fugly car tbh. ...

I wouldn't worry about the look of the fluence, it's discontinued now anyway ! R.I.P

The I3 is too expensive, though I think the 41K is with the optional range extender. The I3 is too small, but 7 seconds or so 0-100 would be more fun than the Leaf.

I wouldn't say the Leaf is as bad looking as my MK II prius at all.

The Mercedes isn't bad looking and at least they were clever enough to use Tesla battery and electrics.

The E-Golf is nothing special and not worth the price premium over the Leaf imo.

The Kia soul has more battery than the leaf at 28 kwh, so depending on how much of that they use could see 15-20 miles more range than the Leaf.

Interestingly, Kia are quoted in saying the Soul's battery is almost half the size of that in the Leaf, if so why didn't they offer a 30-40 kwh option ?

Sesshoumaru

The obvious EV success story in Europe would be Norway, which has a similar population to ours.

http://green.autoblog.com/2013/12/04/norwegian-ev-sales-remain-strong-in-november/

The Tesla Model S and Nissan Leaf have been battling for top sales in the Norwegian market. In September, the Model S was Norway's top-selling car with 616 units sold. Deploying a network of Superchargers in the country only makes the car all the more appealing there. In October, the Leaf sold 716 units, beating the Volkswagen Golf (the e-Golf isn't yet on sale there and the plug-in hybrid version is coming next year). In November, the Golf took first place overall with 666 units sold; the Model S was second with 527 sales and the Leaf dropped down to fifth place at 512 units.

I look forward to seeing how EVs do in Norway over 2014.

naughtysmurf

I've just looked at the Kia Soul the person that designed it I'm pretty sure had no soul :P

The Leaf is a bit of a looker compared to it

Sabre Man

616 Tesla Model S cars were registered in Norway in September 2013, making it the best selling car for that month. The Leaf is also doing extremely well over there.

corkgsxr

Iv one more reason I couldn't have one. I couldn't charge it. I now live in town with on street parking. You'd have to run leads across the street. Same with apartment blocks. Nowhere to charge. And no way you can run leads even across a footpath directly across from your house. You'd be getting sued every second week.

So only option would be sit and wit at a charger. But theres feck all chargers in cork. I know of 2

D_BEAR

Norways car tax system seems to be aimed at getting people to buy electric cars.
I don't know how anybody can afford to buy a ICE car for example a base golf costs €30,000 and its still one of the top selling cars.
You can also drive in the bus lane pay no road tax and subsidised parking and tolls.

http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/03/13/us-cars-norway-idUSBRE92C0K020130313

Anan1

corkgsxr wrote: »

Iv one more reason I couldn't have one. I couldn't charge it. I now live in town with on street parking. You'd have to run leads across the street. Same with apartment blocks. Nowhere to charge. And no way you can run leads even across a footpath directly across from your house. You'd be getting sued every second week.

So only option would be sit and wit at a charger. But theres feck all chargers in cork. I know of 2

Presumably more on-street chargers are on the way.