200,000 Plug-Ins sold in USA

Nice!
It looks like we're right on track to hit the Obama administration's goal of 1,000,000 by 2015!

Seriously, though, I would be pleased with plug-in sales so far if it wasn't for that (apparently overly) ambitious target. 2020 seems more likely.

I've read that plug-in sales have grown faster than hybrids at similar points in their introduction, and look at where hybrids are now - completely accepted as mainstream.
I'll try and link find the article to link to.

I believe the plug-in adoption rate is greater than hybrids were in not just absolute numbers sold, but also as a % of new car sales.

 

Sadly, vital bits of information were left out of that claim. Toyota restricted supply for the first 3 years and Prius could only be purchased via special-order for the first 1.5 years. There was no tax CREDIT available either. All we got was a DEDUCTION, amounting to around $400. That's a far cry from the $2,500 to $7,500 plug-ins get. The entire industry is trying to deliver something with a plug now too. That most definitely wasn't the situation with hybrids. The anti-hybrid propaganda was quite intense.

Even more sad, that "completely accepted" is something I really wish that was true. Unfortunately, I run into the "not interested" attitude on a very regular basis. They'll usually make some comment about cost or battery-life, then change the subject. That kind of dismissal is all too real still.

The 200,000 is good news regardless. We knew it would be much slower than the hype and sadly slower than the support. Oh well, progress is progress. And in the meantime, we're generating lots of real-world data.

 

the economy isn't helping. gas prices will be artificially low until there is an improvement.

 

Well at least the goal will be met, just late.
When it comes to presidential goals in SOTU
A Brief History of Presidential Promises to End US Oil Addiction, by Jon Stewart (Video) : TreeHugger
Carters goal to end imported oil by the year 2000, would be great if it was only 5 years late. Unfortunately he did keep his promise to increase coal. Nixon, Ford, Regan,Bush 41, and Clinton also didn't come close. Bush 43 and Obama made lesser progress, and unlike the previous 6 presidents, they still have a chance of keeping part of the promise

Exactly true, but.... Hybrids have not reduced much us oil use. Hopefully a decade from now plug-ins + hybrids will.

Absolutely true, and it is true world wide also, no matter which numbers you crunch. The participation rate is much higher in plug-ins than hybrids, at similar time frame there was only honda and toyota, now we have the top tier of Nissan, Chevy, Toyota, tesla, and ford but 8 other players.

 

30k PIP's (well nearly)? Wow. That just shows that people want and like them. I wish Toyota UK hadn't over priced them as they did. They've sold the grand total of 957 in 2 years here. Considering our petrol costing over $8 a US gallon and adjusting the sales totals against population size, it's still a pathetic total.

Apparently Toyota UK are now struggling to shift the old model PIP before the new 2015 Prius models come out. No sympathy

 

Does anyone know how many PHV Prii were sold in Canada to date?

 

Toyota Prius Plug-In Sales Figures - GOOD CAR BAD CAR
32 this year
307 since introduction

 

Thanks, that averages 15 per month including the initial launch, pathetic!!

 

I don't think toyota wants to sell the car where it is cold where you are, and where it hot where I am. I don't know how many dealers in canada sell the car, but its 0 in texas by Toyota's choice.

 

All dealers in Canada sell them, or can order them, as far as I know.