1 Oct 17
News

Electric vehicle sales soar in New York

Sales of new electric vehicles are soaring in New York state, up 61% in the first half of 2017 compared to the same period of 2016. During the first six months of this year, 4,209 electric cars were sold, compared to 2,609 in the first half of 2016.

The figures are based on the state’s Drive Clean Rebate, a $70 million programme to encourage the adoption of zero emission cars. It offers rebates of up to $2,000 against the price of a new plug-in hybrid electric car, all-electric car or hydrogen fuel cell car.

In total, 30 cars qualify for the rebate, but the Toyota Prius Prime accounts for more than 40% of the rebates, followed by the Chevrolet Bolt EV (12%), Chevrolet Volt (10%), and Ford Fusion Energi (10%).

New York’s electric fleet is estimated to save 115,000 tonnes of carbon emissions per year, the equivalent of taking 24,000 cars off the road.

In September, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo made $2.2 million available for municipal fleets to purchase or lease electric or hydrogen fuel cell vehicles, and for the installation of a recharging infrastructure. 

Authored by: Jonathan Manning