SUV and Light Truck Sales Up; Electric Car Sales Remain Low

In his 2011 State of the Union Address, President Obama called for 1 million electric plug-in vehicles on the road by 2015, but that vision is not likely to happen for Americans prefer the lower cost and greater flexibility of petroleum powered vehicles, and the larger size of light duty trucks and SUVs. This is despite the fact that gasoline prices are averaging over $3 per gallon. In 2013, the U.S. auto industry had its best sales year since 2007. U.S. consumers bought 15.6 million vehicles in 2013, an increase of 7.6 percent from 2012 sales, and purchases of light trucks including sport-utility vehicles exceeded those of cars.[1] While full electric and plug-in electric vehicles increased in 2013, they tallied only 96,600 vehicles, or 0.6 percent of total sales. [ii]