EV Sales Remain Slow

Feb. 4, 2020—While electric vehicles get showered with attention, their actual prevalence is very small in the grand landscape of the auto industry.

The New York Times took a look at the numbers after a few Super Bowl ads made notable pitches for various EVs. GMC, Audi and Porsche were a few examples.

But the numbers still show a small impact. EVs made up just 1.9 percent of overall sales in 2019, according to the Times. Tesla accounted for half of those sales. Ad spending for EVs was just a 0.3-percent chunk of the overall pie.

Automakers are going in big on EVs, as noted by big announcements around models like the EV Hummer or the Ford Mustang Mach E. But some companies sell the cars at a loss, according to the article.

Sales could turn a corner in the near future, the article notes, as companies shift more ad dollars toward EVs, public awareness increases and the cost of the vehicles come down.