[Chevy Bolt News]

Today we get a look at new green vehicle sales numbers for August 2015.

Gasoline and diesel prices have been suppressed long enough to hurt the green segements over the summer months.

Hybrids – Top Five Sell*ers in August 2015

Toy*ota Prius Lift*back – 10,450
Toy*ota Prius C – 3,844
Toy*ota Camry Hybrid – 3,314
Toy*ota Prius V – 3,119
Ford Fusion Hybrid – 2,441

Bat*tery Elec*tric – Top Five Sell*ers in August 2015

Tesla Model S – 1,600
Nis*san Leaf – 1,393
BMW i3 – 792
Volk*swa*gen e-Golf – 381
Fiat 500e – 370

Plug in Hybrid – Top Five Sell*ers in August 2015

Chevro*let Volt – 1,380
Ford Fusion Energi – 949
Ford C-Max Energi – 723
Toy*ota Prius Plug In – 344
BMW i8 – 210

Diesel – Top Five Sell*ers in August 2015

Ram Pickup Diesel – 4,093
Volk*swa*gen Pas*sat Diesel – 1,991
Volk*swa*gen Golf Sport*wa*gen Diesel – 1,977
Volk*swa*gen Jetta Diesel – 1,820
Volk*swa*gen Golf Diesel – 954

Insights from automotivedigest include:

• Toyota dominating the Hybrid space. The Prius leads all hybrid sales YTD as well as enjoying success on the used market.
  
• The Leaf and Volt are competing heavily once again. The Leaf had been leading prior to the introduction of the new Volt.
  
• The Model S is the most dominant EV in terms of sales and resale value.
  
• Clean diesels may be dangerous to EV's and hybrids. Clean diesel volume is now nearly twice that for all electric vehicles.

 

[LightningBolt]

But clean diesel is more expensive than charging your electric car. With the advancements and awareness that the electric segment is getting we may soon see them compete against Diesel vehicles for consumers.

 

[Roth33d]

But clean diesel is more expensive than charging your electric car. With the advancements and awareness that the electric segment is getting we may soon see them compete against Diesel vehicles for consumers.

Yeah that's where we should eventually start seeing an upwards trend of EV's taking over, but I still think we have some time to go before that analysis can happen.

 

[volta]

If we look into the future, when there is some type of Uber driven transportation industry where you order a car, are dropped off, and then it goes on to pick up the next person. Oh, and its autonomous so there is no driver. I think EVs would grow in popularity hugely, mainly because range anxiety would be gone. Given that those vehicles could be used perpetually instead of sitting in a driveway most of the time, a plug-in hybrid would save money for the company I would assume, although at that point electricity may cost more because of higher demand from electric vehicles themselves.

 

[Roth33d]

If we look into the future, when there is some type of Uber driven transportation industry where you order a car, are dropped off, and then it goes on to pick up the next person. Oh, and its autonomous so there is no driver. I think EVs would grow in popularity hugely, mainly because range anxiety would be gone. Given that those vehicles could be used perpetually instead of sitting in a driveway most of the time, a plug-in hybrid would save money for the company I would assume, although at that point electricity may cost more because of higher demand from electric vehicles themselves.

What's funny you could probably even get a driverless vehicle to pick you up, something that might be needed if a car company sees it necessary for a company rep to go over things with you before taking the vehicle.

 

[Raymondjram]

Autonomous BEVs can recharge themselves

What's funny you could probably even get a driverless vehicle to pick you up, something that might be needed if a car company sees it necessary for a company rep to go over things with you before taking the vehicle.

Up to now, there are no Diesel or gas engine vehicles that can refuel itself. Even race cars need a fuel team!

Not so for the BEVs. Just like the Roomba home vacuum system that can find and travel to the base charger to recharge by itself (it is in the BIOS of the Roombas), new autonomous BEVs can be fitted with either wired (dual contacts like old slot cars) or wireless (inductive) charging equipment, and recharge themselves with no human handling

So in the future, you can have your AutoCar (I like that name!) come out of your garage, pick you up, take you to your destination. and park itself. Then it will pick you up again, return home, and park itself for recharging. If it needs a recharge while wating, your AutoCar will visit a charging station by itself and recharge before picking you up.

 

[volta]

The best part is that all this just makes more sense than the current system that has so much waste.

 

[Roth33d]

Up to now, there are no Diesel or gas engine vehicles that can refuel itself. Even race cars need a fuel team!

Not so for the BEVs. Just like the Roomba home vacuum system that can find and travel to the base charger to recharge by itself (it is in the BIOS of the Roombas), new autonomous BEVs can be fitted with either wired (dual contacts like old slot cars) or wireless (inductive) charging equipment, and recharge themselves with no human handling

So in the future, you can have your AutoCar (I like that name!) come out of your garage, pick you up, take you to your destination. and park itself. Then it will pick you up again, return home, and park itself for recharging. If it needs a recharge while wating, your AutoCar will visit a charging station by itself and recharge before picking you up.

That's actually a powerful point to bring up, which takes away that whole range issue but what would suck is if while out to charge itself that it gets stuck in bumper to bumper traffic

 

[LightningBolt]

Or a cool feature would be to equip future electric cars with solar paneled sun roofs. I think solar panels have advanced enough to become thin flexible strips.

 

[volta]

That's actually a powerful point to bring up, which takes away that whole range issue but what would suck is if while out to charge itself that it gets stuck in bumper to bumper traffic

The advocate's answer to that would be that connected car technology would allow vehicles to be able to anticipate traffic and avoid it, or at least get to where it's going in the most efficient way possible. Still, that wouldn't make traffic a non-issue, but it should mitigate it.

 

[Roth33d]

The advocate's answer to that would be that connected car technology would allow vehicles to be able to anticipate traffic and avoid it, or at least get to where it's going in the most efficient way possible. Still, that wouldn't make traffic a non-issue, but it should mitigate it.

Indeed, it will help with getting around issues already happening but it will be that small percentage where things just happen unexpectedly on a stretch of road where there's no where else but to go past the problem area and wait who knows how long to get past it.

 

[volta]

but if we program and plan everything there will never be anything unexpected. LOL

Technology's progression could definitely lead to something very dystopian. Skynet seems a possibility. Computers predict our every need. So much safety is programmed in we don't have control over anything.

That's just me getting all philosophical though.

 

[Shuto]

or turn the wheels into large alternators...

 

[Roth33d]

or turn the wheels into large alternators...

That would be a smart move, wheels are always moving and is one of the best areas for regen. Don't know what it will take them to do it but we're bound to see it happen as they look for more ways.

 

[LightningBolt]

That sounds like a much better idea than the road charging your vehicle. If they manage to do it and design something compact enough, that means EV cars can be equipped with 4 alternators each.

 

[volta]

Regen braking is awesome, but having charging built into roads strategically could be extremely useful as well. Ultimately it all adds up to increasing vehicle range.

I would imagine these charging roads would require a toll or something. I don't see how they are going to build them for free when they cost to build,a nd that electricity must come from somewhere.

 

[LightningBolt]

We're still a long way away from the charging road becoming a common sight so regenerative brakes and alternators are more feasible at this point in time.

 

[Roth33d]

I think some place in europe started implementing solar roads.

But these regen system should pick up the slack for now, it's going to take a lot of EV's to justify solar roads