December 2016 U.S. Electric Vehicle Sales Reach All-Time Monthly High

Final numbers of U.S. electric vehicle (EV) sales for the 2016 year were released showing that despite low gas prices, a record-breaking 24,785 electric vehicles were purchased this past December, the largest sales month ever (the last highest sales month was September 2016 when 17,224 EVs were sold in the U.S.). This marks a more than 80 percent increase from December 2015. In total, yearly sales jumped 37 percent from 2015 to 2016, with sales increasing from 116,099 to 159,139. 2016 EV sales are three times higher than 2012 when just 52,000 EVs were sold.

In response, Sierra Club Electric Vehicle Initiatives Director Gina Coplon-Newfield released the following statement:

“The numbers are in, and they add up to a brighter future for clean, electric vehicles. In 2016, 159,139 electric vehicles hit U.S. roads, a whopping 37 percent jump from 2015, and the December EV sales of nearly 25,000 were the highest sales month ever by a lot. It’s easy to see why: plug-in electric vehicles are a clean, affordable choice over the gasoline-fueled conventional vehicles that are leaving our air dirty, our families sick, and our climate in peril. These high electric vehicle sales numbers show that even when gas prices are low, consumers want to drive electric. The increasing options, mileage ranges, and affordability of electric vehicles are moving us in a direction that’s not only good for the consumer, but good for the planet too. Now, we need to use this momentum to rapidly replace a much higher number of polluting vehicles with cleaner alternatives.”