Life Cycle of U.S. Battery Electric Vehicle Sales

Battery Electric Vehicles

When people speak of "electric cars" today, they often mean to refer to Battery Electric Vehicles. BEVs are fully-electric, highway-capable vehicles with rechargeable on-board batteries. Unlike plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEV), or "hybrids," they do not have any built in gasoline engine.

History

Battery-powered electric vehicles actually predate the internal combustion engine. In 1899 and 1900 more electric vehicles were sold in the US than gasoline and steam cars combined. Range was adequate for city driving, however trips outside the city were problematic. Electricity was scarce outside of cities, rendering long-distance travel virtually not an option. Gradually, electric vehicles were bested by Henry Ford and his Model T.

Data and Analysis

Year	HEV Vehicles Sold	Predicted Sales
1999	17	51
2000	9350	254
2001	20282	1254
2002	22335	6124
2003	47566	28386
2004	84199	106674
2005	205828	240706
2006	253518	322522
2007	352862	346286
2008	315688	351515
2009	290740	352590
2010	274421	352808
2011	269178	352852