Edmunds.com: EV and hybrid loyalty falls to all-time low

Via GCC:

Edmunds.com: EV and hybrid loyalty falls to all-time low

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http://www.greencarcongress.com/2016/04/20160421-edmunds.html

Only 27.5% of all hybrid and electric vehicle trade-ins in the US in 2016 have been applied to the purchase of another hybrid or EV, according to a new analysis from car shopping destination Edmunds.com. The rate is a sharp drop from the 38.5% of hybrid and EV trade-ins in 2015 . . .

Edmunds’ analysis found that a hybrid or electric trade-in is more likely to go toward the purchase of a SUV (33.8%) than another hybrid or EV. The trend is even more apparent when looking only at EV trade-ins—25.7% of EV trade-ins went toward the purchase of a SUV, compared to just 4.8% that went toward another EV. . . .

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Also see:

NREL releases study on public sentiments on PEVs

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http://www.mynissanleaf.com/viewtopic.php?f=7&t=21773

I can certainly appreciate why. To begin with, leasing is a suckers game, but with plugins the only thing worse than leasing is buying.
We were an early adopter two plugin family, LEAF+Volt, now we're down to Volt+ICE, and with the Volt lease coming to an end we'll probably just pick up another modestly priced ICE and past the adoption pyramid baton to the 400,000 or so Tesla-ites to be.
At the end of the day the numbers just don't work out, even with the subsidies, so when the novelty wears off and sensibilities return you're reminded that unless it's Amway or Rodan and Fields the bottom of the pyramid is the place to be.

I wish they would separate plug in hybrids and actual electric vehicles.
Otherwise I blame Nissan's poor initial range and battery degradation.
A minor part might be lower gasoline prices.

One problem all other EV options today in the more or less accessible pricing range suffer from the same problems, such as limited autonomy, poor creature comfort and cargo room, and low resale value. Unless someone is a die-hard EV enthusiast It's just hard to get excited enough to consider another EV.

I see it as people are waiting for less expensive and longer range pure electric vehicles as well as better quality batteries and infrastructure as well as different platforms such as trucks etc. I believe sales are about to greatly increase if the automakers let it happen and finally get with the program and produce what we want. No more compliance only cars please!

This is interesting news that contrasts sharply with the record plugin sales in the US during several recent months. I do wonder how old the data is, perhaps it falls within the timeframe of mid-2015 when everyone was waiting for the new Volt and longer range Leaf. Regardless, it appears 2016 will set a new record for plugin sales in the US, so more first time plugin buyers but fewer repeat plugin buyers.

I believe as more and more plugin models make their way to market the penetration will naturally occur. And of course the halo around Model 3 helps quite a bit as well.

I simply don't believe their conclusions.
I can certainly see hybrids taking a nose dive, but only 5% of EV owners buy another?
Small sample size?
Fleet owners?

I know hundreds of EV owners. Of the ones that have bought another car, the vast majority have been another plugin vehicle.
Don't get me wrong, I have seen people go back to an ICE, but the numbers have been very, very low.

smkettner said:

I wish they would separate plug in hybrids and actual electric vehicles.
Otherwise I blame Nissan's poor initial range and battery degradation.
A minor part might be lower gasoline prices.

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I don't even see that.
I think it is more an aberration resulting from the small sample size and narrow time window.
They looked at about 5000 cars traded in during the first three months of 2016.

Also, how do they categorize the Volt, CMAX or other plugin hybrids? If they don't count those as EVs, then someone trading in a Leaf for a Volt would show up as "not a loyal EV owner".

I would think it may also have to do with the almost free cost of gas now. I would suspect european numbers would be different. Heck, in holland it won't be an option in 9 years. You are buying an EV.

Personally I can't see ever wanting or buying anything with a tail pipe again. We'll drive our ICE vehicle for another 2 or 3 years but really we hardly use it anymore. We do almost all our miles with our EV. Its the go to car.

I'm also skeptical here. Also, any LEAF or Volt traded for a Tesla would most likely not be reflected in such stats, since new Teslas aren't purchased through dealers.