Analysts say fleet sales needed to meed Obama’s 1 million EV goal

As is to be expected, President Obama’s goal of putting 1 million EVs on US roads by 2015 is going to be dependent on automakers empahsizing fleet sales.  IHS Automotive analyst Rebecca Lindland said that consumers will most likely be reluctant to buy EVs on such a large scale because of the lack of recharging infrastructure.

She forecasts retail sales of about 60,000 units each for the Chevy Volt and Nissan Leaf by that year, and although other manufacturers are coming out with EVs, she expects the number on the road by 2015 to fall dramatically short of Obama’s goal.

The key, she said, is to target delivery and taxi companies whose drivers travel short or fixed routes that will not create anxiety over range issues.

One consumer activist said today that Obama’s target was achievable if the government sets high enough fuel economy standards for 2017-25  model year vehicles.  “That would tell the industry what the path is,” Mark Cooper, research director for the Consumer Federation of America, said at the auto show. “Expanding EV production would help it stay on that path.”

-By: Stephen Calogera

Source: Automotive News