Plug-in Cars Save 45 Million Gallons of Gasoline Per Year

Sales of electrified vehicles are picking up steam and in doing so they’re making an impact on America’s consumption of fossil fuel.

According to a recent report by the Union of Concerned Scientists, sales of electrified vehicles including plug-in hybrids and battery electric cars continue to rise as the first quarter of 2014 comes to a close. Last year, almost 100,000 electric vehicles were sold in the United States, more than double 2012 – resulting in nationwide reduction of gasoline by more than 45 million gallons.

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Despite the increase in popularity, plug-in vehicles still accounted for just for 2.5 percent of all new vehicles sold in California last year, which is by far the most popular state for plug-in cars and is home to 46 percent of all plug-in vehicles in the U.S.

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The rest of this year is promising for the electrified vehicle market with more offerings heading to dealerships including the BMW i3, Cadillac ELR and Kia Soul EV. In the last three years, American drivers have purchased almost 170,000 plug-in vehicles, helping save 45-million gallons of gasoline per year and over $100 million in avoided fuel costs. It will also be interesting to see how the upcoming hydrogen fuel-cell vehicles such as the Hyundai Tucson fare in the marketplace.