Electric Car Sales Collapse
Great time to be forcing the Big Three into the business.
Although car sales in general were of by about 25-28%, the surprise was that electric car sales fell by over 50%.
Even Smart Car sales fell to their worst level this year.
Daily tech reports: Electric Car Sales in Freefall; Industry Risks Collapse
In what many will find a surprising turn of events, electric car sales have plummeted this year, plunging the fledgling industry into financial turmoil. Many manufacturers and dealers are cutting back operations; some have shut down entirely. Others are calling for government action to prevent the industry from wholesale collapse.
Sales declines aren’t limited to the U.S. In Britain, sales of electric cars have dropped a shocking 58 percent this year. For the first ten months of 2008, a total of only 156 vehicles were sold in the country — nearly all of those confined to London itself. The announcement came just two days after the nation’s Committee on Climate Change predicted electric car sales would increase substantially this year.
Larry Shriner, Chief Financial Officer of Zenn Motors, an electric car manufacturer based in Canada, says government “needs to get engaged to give the industry some momentum”. Shriner doesn’t necessarily favor gas price supports, but he says government needs to ensure “people stay focused” on the benefits of electric car technology.
Think the auto industry should do a little market research before they jump in?
But WAIT- it get’s better:
Brokaw Wants to Tax Gas Back to $4 a Gallon
So says Tom Brokaw. Here is Brokaw’s question to Obama on Meet the Press?:
Let’s talk for a moment about consumer responsibility when it comes to the auto industries. As soon as gas prices dropped, consumers moved back to the larger cars once again. The SUVs are the big gas consumers. Why not take this opportunity to put a tax on gasoline, bump it back up to $4 a gallon where people were prepared to pay for that, and use that revenue for alternative energy and as a signal to the consumers: “Those days are gone. We’re not going to have gasoline that you could just fill up your tank for 20 bucks anymore.“
These kind of thinkers will help the ‘CAUSE’ immensely.
Do you think $4/gallon gas may have helped the collapse along?
December 7th, 2008 at 7:46 pm
What a joke. I hope the electric car industry falls apart completely. Start taking names and vote the moron politicians out of office. Then go buy a GMC pickup.
December 7th, 2008 at 8:48 pm
I have nothing against electric cars but I wouldn’t buy one. I don’t think the technology is advanced enough where they will be a viable alternative.
December 16th, 2008 at 7:58 am
[...] Car Scheme Green Smoke And Mirrors: A Voice of Reason on Shai Agassi’s Electric Car Scheme Sales of Canada’s “Zenn” Electric Car Manufacturer Collapse Zenn Cars Cleared For Sale in [...]