The biggest hurdle to adoption of electric vehicles in the US remains supply, as 42% (14 out of 33) of legacy automaker brands that have vehicles for sale in the US – still do not offer an EV (either BEV or PHEV) for sale in the world’s second largest auto market.
And 24 or 73% of the legacy automakers still do not offer a fully electric BEV for sale in the US. There is some good news on the horizon, however, as Volvo (XC40 Recharge), Volkswagen (ID.4 – e-Golf has been discontinued in the US), and Ford (Mustang Mach-E) are expected to bring BEVs to market by the end of 2020.
17 of the 33 automakers, or 52%, do not offer any PHEVs to US consumers. Electric vehicle purists might view this as a good thing, but PHEVs like the Honda Clarity, Chrysler Pacifica, Toyota Prius Prime and the soon to be available Toyota RAV4 Prime and Ford Escape PHEVs increase awareness of EVs and are important first steps for many people on the transition to BEVs.
Ten of the legacy automakers, or 30%, have a PHEV model available in the US, but NOT a BEV. These include Chrysler, Ford, Honda, Land Rover, Lincoln, Mercedes-Benz, Mitsubishi, Subaru, Toyota, and Volvo. Of these, Ford (Mustang Mach-E) and Volvo (XC40 Recharge) are expected to have their new BEVs reach US dealers by the end of 2020. And the delayed Mercedes-Benz EQC 400 is now expected to be available in the US in 2021.
The overall number of automakers with EVs in the US by the end of 2020 may increase by two. Jeep is expected to bring a PHEV version of its popular Renegade 4xe to the US later in 2020, but I would not be surprised if this is delayed. Volkswagen, which discontinued the e-Golf in the US earlier in 2020, will hopefully bring the ID.4 to the US by year end (the net gain is from the current point in time – July 2020 – when VW has zero EVs in the US). And both Volvo (5) and Ford (1) already have at least one PHEV available but are expected to each add their BEVs to the mix by year end.
The numbers are likely to change little in 2021 with the same 12 legacy automakers still not offering ANY EVs – either PHEV or BEV by the end of 2021. The Mercedes-Benz EQC 400 moves the automakers without a BEV to 20 from 21 in 2020.
In part two of this series, 14 Legacy Auto Brands Without an EV in the US: When Will They Join the EV Party?, I look at what’s in store for the 14 legacy automakers that currently have zero EVs available in the US. The 14 are:
