Sixteen percent of the cars Americans bought in the second quarter were hybrids, plug-in hybrids (PHEVS), or electric vehicles (EVs), according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA).
PHEVs are hybrids capable of traveling some distance on electric power alone before using gasoline. They can recharge from a standard wall outlet or faster from a Level 2 charger.
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What people are buying reflects what manufacturers are offering for sale. The EIA reports that manufacturers offered 34 different EV models for sale in 2021 and 55 last quarter. The number of purely gas-powered models offered for sale fell from 318 to 297 in the same period.
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EVs are still most common in the luxury classes. The EIA notes, “Battery-electric vehicles now account for 20% of all available luxury models, compared with 7% of non-luxury models.” Thirty-two percent of the luxury cars Americans bought last quarter were EVs. A little over 1% of non-luxury purchases were electric.
“Market segment sales data indicate luxury-vehicle buyers are more willing to pay electric-vehicle price premiums than non-luxury market buyers,” the EIA explains. But the cost of the average electric car has come down nearly 20% in the last year.
