GetOffYourGas said:
FWIW, many people seemed to expect a doubling of the battery size in the 2015 model, yet we still have the same 24kWh. I personally would not be surprised if Nissan drags out the current battery until Leaf 2.0 in spring 2017 (model year 2018). Yes, the car will be long in the tooth, but what is their competition doing? Oh wait, what competition?
dhanson865 said:
"Kia tells us that the Soul EV will only be available in California, Oregon, New York, New Jersey and Maryland."
dhanson865 said:
So for those of us in the other 45 US states the Soul EV doesn't exist as competition.
Uh huh, and in those states where it is being sold, it is. So, the above states have an estimated 2014 population of 77.434 million out of an estimated U.S. population (50 states + D.C.) of 318.86 million, or 24.3%. See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_U.S._states_and_territories_by_population#States_and_territories" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
dhanson865 said:
According to VW, the E-Golf vehicle will be available “only at participating Volkswagen dealers in select states.” California dealerships are most likely to have inventory, but shoppers in these states should check with local dealers to confirm participation: Connecticut, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island, and Vermont.
Adding states ranking 14th, 29th, 41st, 43rd, and 49th, upping the total population to 90.788 million, or 28.5% of the U.S. population (states plus D.C.)
dhanson865 said:
Gee, maybe 5 more states in the list but still not my state so again not an option.
I feel for you, but as you can see, the Soul EV and/or e-Golf are direct competition to the LEAF in around a quarter of the country, and in most of the states with the highest PEV sales. Pity they're missing Hawaii, Washington and Florida, Minnesota, Colorado and maybe Tennesee. OTOH, they do conform pretty closely to this sales prediction for 2022 by ievs: http://insideevs.com/plug-in-vehicle-sales-penetration-by-2022-top-25-states/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
Oddly enough, I've been having great difficulty finding a site that lists the current sales by state.