Few have been optimistic about the market for plug-in hybrids and electric vehicles, but Edison Foundation believes there will be at least 5 million of them on the road by 2035.
Optimistic? It may seem so, considering there’s only about 90,000 on the road today in the US. Nevertheless, the Edison Foundation believes that’s even a conservative estimate and believes that figure could jump as high as 30 million if there’s further advancement in battery technology.
The foundation suggested as a mid-range scenario that there would be around 25 million plug-based vehicles on the road by 2035, making up 10 percent of the American passenger vehicle fleet. Most skeptics would believe that these estimates are way too aggressive, as even some automakers are realizing that EVs and PHEVs aren’t catching on as quickly as they had hoped.
Things are looking bright for the market however, as sales have increased in recent months for vehicles such as the Nissan Leaf and the Chevrolet Volt. Of course, as with anything technology related, it’s hard to tell what the future may bring. A few years from now, batteries for EVs and PHEVs could be lower priced, have extended range, and quicker to charge.
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“Opportunities for electrification in the transportation sector are large and advanced batteries are a major driver,” said Lisa Wood, the Edison Foundation’s Executive Director. “Electric transportation makes economic and environmental sense. Approximately 90,000 Americans have said goodbye to the pump and hello to the plug due to battery advancements and a growing selection of car models that has made driving an EV more accessible than ever before. This number will only grow.”
[Source: The Detroit Bureau]
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