Overshadowed by flashy electric cars for years Tesla Like other car models, hybrids – a kind of aspirator that has both an engine and an electric motor – are back in the spotlight.
U.S. electric vehicle sales have slowed, with the time it takes for a car to sell after it reaches a dealer to drop from 25 days in early 2023 to just over 72 days, according to auto website and data tracking company Edmunds. one year later. This metric is called “turnaround days” and is a good indicator of popularity.
The number of days an electric vehicle is in use has nearly tripled, which is stratospheric growth and is inconsistent with trends in other vehicle categories. Starting in 2023, the average turnaround time for an older internal combustion engine vehicle will be 34 days, compared with 52 days during the same period, according to Edmunds.
But Edmunds data shows the standard hybrid’s popularity handily beat out the other categories—increasing from 16 to 25 days in the same amount of time.
According to data from Morgan Stanley, hybrid car sales were growing five times faster than electric car sales in February 2024.
When the Toyota Prius came to the United States in 2000, the hybrid became not only a favorite among Hollywood stars but also a popular choice among cash-strapped consumers looking to save money on gas. It’s neither flashy nor luxurious, which makes its popularity all the more remarkable.
But shortly after that, Tesla It sparked the EV craze with its stylish, fast electric Roadster and Model S, pushing hybrids to the edge. Nearly every major automaker is eager to follow suit, eager not to be left behind in the electric vehicle revolution—except for Toyota, which is lagging behind its rivals. So far, the world’s largest automaker, Toyota (which owns Lexus), only sells two electric cars – the bZ4X and Lexus RZ – and neither of them have sold in huge numbers.
Professional electric vehicle and environmental group Toyota has been lobbying to slow the electric-car revolution it’s missing out on. Although the company has previously experimented with pure electric vehicles such as the RAV EV, it has long believed that the road to full electrification would be long and that most consumers were not ready for an all-electric vehicle.
But at the end of 2021, Toyota Press release It said it plans to launch 30 electric vehicle models in 2030, with an annual sales target of US$3.5 million.
About two years later, sales of hybrids and plug-in hybrids were up nearly 28% from the previous year. They account for 30% of the Japanese giant’s portfolio.
Toyota isn’t the only company taking advantage of hybrid sales.
Hyundai Motor may add hybrid vehicles to a planned plant in Georgia that was originally intended to focus on electric vehicles. Ford Last year, the company said it would scale back production of some electric vehicle models, including the F-150 Lightning electric pickup truck, in favor of producing more hybrids. General Motors CEO Mary Barra has long said the company believes in an “all-electric future,” and earlier this year said the company would reintroduce plug-in hybrid vehicles in North America.
But the International Council on Clean Transportation explain In a white paper released in 2021, hybrid cars – simply because they burn fuel – are not as effective as electric cars at reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
However, Defenders Say they are a better short-term solution.
Some cars, especially plug-ins, may pollute more than expected and even have negative consequences for their owners: high sticker prices, few options, fuel costs, and the all-encompassing cost of maintaining complex powertrains involving electric and conventional combustion elements. cost.
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