Posted on 03/11/2022 12:41:44 PM PST by Red Badger
We predicted there would be a huge surge in EV sales as gas prices soar, and it appears to have already begun.
Gas prices are spiking faster and higher than ever before, so it comes as no surprise people are quickly looking to buy a more fuel-efficient car. If history repeats itself, hybrid and electric car sales will almost certainly see an increase in adoption in the coming months.
That said, it appears to already be happening. According to sources at Electrek, the US electric automaker is already experiencing a massive sales surge, which goes well beyond its already ridiculous growth.
Prior to the Russian invasion of Ukraine, and ahead of the most recent reports of a Tesla sales boom, the automaker topped all other luxury brands in US registrations for the month of January 2022. In fact, the brand showed a whopping 49 percent year-over-year sales growth in the US for the month.
Three Tesla models topped the list of BEV sales in the US in January, with Model Y registrations at 18,549 (36.8% of all BEVs) and Model 3 at 13,604 (27% of all BEVs). For comparison, Ford Mustang Mach-E sales fit into the 4th slot with 2,781 registrations, behind the Tesla Model S' 3,903.
Tesla already couldn't possibly keep up with the demand for its vehicles, and it has been raising prices and pushing back estimated delivery times on a regular basis over the last year or more. Just this week, the automaker raised prices and pushed back wait times yet again.
It's important to note that Tesla is still operating out of the same two factories it has been relying on for years. Somehow, while only producing cars in California and Shanghai – amid a global pandemic, a chip shortage, and other related supply chain issues – Tesla was able to achieve the 49 percent year-over-year sales growth.
Once Tesla's factories in Texas and Germany are officially online, it should help with the demand issues. This is to say, there's a light at the end of the tunnel, but the tunnel is still very long. It will likely take Tesla many months to ramp up production, and the supply chain issues aren't expected to go away any time soon.
At any rate, according to Electrek, the quick and mounting spike in gas prices has already resulted in notable surges in Tesla orders in multiple areas across the country. The sources who spoke with Electrek claim that the automaker is seeing a 100 percent increase in new orders in areas of the US most impacted by the rising gas prices.
it’s been tried
Top 10 Electric Cars Using Solar Panels to Keep the Batteries Charged
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=al1T-vil36I
“I have no idea if a Tesla could be driven that hard and if the battery pack would last through it.”
One of my friends drove a 2014 Tesla S until trading it in last year. Daily driver, a minimum of 60 miles. He was still getting 80% charge on that battery. He traded it in for a 2021 Model S in order to get upgrades that aren’t possible on a 2014.
Yup. But most people don’t drive 9–10 hour in a day. You are an outlier. And once you’ve driven 50 or so miles your batteries are just dead weight you’re hauling. So a hybrid is probably worse for those long trips over pure ICE.
Besides, adding 200 miles range to a Tesla can be done in 15 minutes. So 620 miles could be done with one or maybe two 15 minute breaks. So pretty close. And teslas can self drive really well on those long trips.
Elon Musk has often stated that a solar panel wouldn't contribute enough charge to make it worthwhile to install on a car. But he said the Cybertruck has enough roof area to make it feasible, and may offer it as an option (partly because of the camping aspects of the vehicle). Solar panels have been available for cars for decades. I had one on an SUV van in the early 1990's that provided a trickle charge to the battery, and powered a fan to keep the interior cool on hot days while parked.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.