Tesla holds almost 79% of the electric car market in the U.S., according to registration data, but that needs to change, according to Tesla’s own mission.
During the first half of 2020, registration data showed that Tesla held almost 80% of the United States electric car market.
This was especially impressive considering that 2020 was the first year that Tesla buyers did not have access to the federal tax credit for electric vehicles, making other electric cars more competitive.
Incredible market share was expected to decline as more electric vehicles hit the market, but we now find that Tesla was able to maintain its leadership in 2020.
New registration data shows that Tesla had 79% of the market throughout the year [via Auto News]:
According to new data from Experian, Tesla accounted for 79% of U.S. EV records in 2020, with 200,561 of its battery-powered electric vehicles registered, a 16% jump from 2019, when owners registered 172,438 Teslas .
Here are the 10 best-selling electric cars in the U.S. in 2020:
- Tesla Model 3: 95,135
- Tesla Model Y: 71,344
- Chevrolet Bolt EV: 19,664
- Tesla Model X: 19,652
- Tesla Model S: 14,430
- Nissan Leaf: 8,972
- Audi E-tron: 7,089
- Porsche Taycan: 3,943
- Hyundai Kona EV: 2,964
- Kia Niro EV: 2,807
Electric vehicle sales in the U.S. increased by 11% in 2020, which doesn’t seem like much, but it’s actually a good result, considering that the overall automotive market has fallen due to the global pandemic.
However, electric vehicles still represented only 1.8% of the U.S. automotive market – up from 1.4% in 2019.
Electrek’s Take
These are some impressive results from Tesla and show that the company’s strategy of investing in high-volume electric vehicle programs is paying off.
But Tesla’s mission is to accelerate the advent of renewable energy and electric transport, and the company has always been aware that it cannot do this alone.
The goal was to push the industry to accelerate its transition to battery powered electric vehicles. I think it is working in terms of investments in electrification, but in the United States we are still not seeing results.
The only non-Tesla EV with more than 10,000 sales is the Chevy Bolt EV – which GM gave big discounts in 2020.
Globally, 2021 will be a massive year for electric vehicles, but I don’t think it will be felt as much in the US. 2022 should be the year for EVs in the USA, especially with some electric pickups reaching production volume.
I think we will see Tesla’s market share in the US EV market drop below 50%, but EV market shares in the general automotive market will be in excess of 10% with several high-volume EV programs.
What do you think? Let us know in the comments section below.
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