To the editor: Seemingly convinced by the impressive but still ambiguous electric vehicle successes in America and worldwide, guest contributor Mike Murphy lists various solutions for issues that hinder his great expectations for an imminent electric, clean car future in California (“California can fix Trump’s EV mistake,” July 17). But statistics from the U.S. Energy Information Administration, based on data gathered from 2023 through the second quarter of 2024, distinguish between all-electric and hybrid vehicle sales in the U.S, a revealing distinction that may curb enthusiasm like Murphy’s.
Of the 18.7% of electric or semi-electric vehicles sold in the U.S. during the tracked time period, 7.1% were battery electric vehicles, but a greater percent, 9.6%, were hybrids (with only 2% plug-in hybrids in the mix). Crucially significant, however, is that BEV market share largely stagnated at 2023 levels while hybrid sales skyrocketed 30.7% year over year.
The implication for the short to mid term may signal a shift in consumer behavior away from purchasing high-priced all-electric vehicles to a predominant preference for buying the sensible hybrid car, affording fuel efficiency at 50-plus miles to the gallon.
Jim Valentine, Woodland Hills