Why Lie? - Here’s a Graph of the Past 6 Quarters of EV Deliveries in America

Pro and con EV content creators claim to know the truth about EV deliveries, but they hide the facts behind opinions. Here’s a story with only facts and no opinions. 

Vehicles with battery-electric powertrains made up about 8% of the new vehicle deliveries in America during the last quarter (April, May, and June of 2024). Here are some facts related to that data. We’ll provide you with a link to the sources of our data, Cox Automotive / Kelley Blue Book, right up front. Our graph was made using data provided by this source. Your author has no financial connection to this source, and I have never worked for Cox Automotive or Kelley Blue Book in any capacity (though I would not hesitate to do so). This is a trusted source with solid financial backing, which enables them to gather data.

92% of New Vehicle Shoppers Chose NOT to Get a BEV
During the latest quarter, more than nine out of ten shoppers chose not to buy a vehicle equipped with a battery-electric (BEV) powertrain. This is slightly better than in Q1, when about 93% of shoppers chose not to buy a vehicle with a battery-electric powertrain. Please allow us to call vehicles with battery-electric powertrains BEVs. It helps keep our fingers from cramping. 

Dealers and Retail Locations Are Bursting at the Seams With BEVs
Anyone who really wanted a BEV could have bought one in either Q1 or Q2. The inventory crisis is now well in the rearview mirror. We know that inventory of almost all types of vehicles is healthy right now and favors shoppers who wish to buy off of dealer lots. We know this from inventory reports and by observing the inventory in New England. For example, my local dealer, Acton Ford, has a long row of Mustang Mach-E crossovers in stock in many trims and colors. It would be fair to say that 92% of “sales” were not BEVs in Q2, but we prefer deliveries since it is a word that excludes orders not yet filled, and it includes leases. So, it is a better word than “sales” or “purchases.” It helps make the story more meaningful and exact. 

We won't dive deeply into it now, but one of the few types of vehicles not readily available is Toyota Hybrids. Deliveries are at Toyota’s maximum production output and continue to grow only as Toyota grows its production capacity. 

Our Graph is Scaled to 100% of the Screen Size Available.
Google likes images that are 1200x675 pixels. The graph you see is the largest one that we could create and still meet that requirement. It is full-scale, 0-400,000 deliveries. If we could have used more than 675 pixels, that graph might look like deliveries have barely changed. You can be the judge of what it looks like as it is. 

The Deliveries You See Are the Result of Massive Incentive Programs
To earn those Q2 deliveries, automakers, including Tesla, pulled out all the stops and threw cash on the dash as high as five figures. Tesla and others also offered low-financing deals. Tesla and others also lowered their MSRPs over the past year. Same cars, at drastically lower prices than in 2022. 

Governments and Municipalities Augment Manufacturers’ Incentives
In addition to the discounting deals that automakers are offering, the federal government and local governments and agencies (states, towns, electricity providers) are throwing huge sums of money at shoppers to convince them to buy EVs. Not everyone and not every vehicle qualifies. In Colorado, new EVs are subsidized so crazily that new ones can cost under $500 per year on giveaway leases. Here’s a story on Leaf leases under $20. Here’s a second story about Leaf leases under $10. 

If Anyone Is Making Money On BEVs in America, It’s Hard to Find Data Proving So
This week's news is that Ford is losing its shirt by making and delivering BEVs at a loss. We’ve known for some time that GM is losing money on EVs. Tesla’s global margin has suffered dramatically. Despite all the headlines about how BEVs are being made in special factories with special methods (gigacasting, yeah!), the fact is that they are not profitable in America despite massive government support and three decades of development. 

The Deliveries You See Are Not Made Up Of Just Regular Buyers
The graph you see above is not just regular folks like you and me buying cars, crossovers, and trucks that happen to have battery-electric powertrains. A meaningful portion of those deliveries are to municipalities, state governments, the federal government, and other fleets buying up BEVs. It includes rental car companies, local police fleet purchases, delivery companies buying Ford E-Transits, and all that jazz. So, the conclusion that “more people bought BEVs in Q2 vs. Q1” may be true, or it may not be true. Perhaps a few major fleet purchases happened to fall into Q2? There is no data available to tell us the answer that we can uncover.

Conclusion - You Make The Call
We don't want to offer any opinions in this story, so you make the call. In the comments under this story, tell us what you think the above graph says or does not say. 

If you'd like to add a comment under this story, please note that our comments section has returned and is in bold red at the bottom of the page.

John Goreham is an experienced New England Motor Press Association member and expert vehicle tester. John completed an engineering program with a focus on electric vehicles, followed by two decades of work in high-tech, biopharma, and the automotive supply chain before becoming a news contributor. In addition to his eleven years of work at Torque News, John has published thousands of articles and reviews at American news outlets. He is known for offering unfiltered opinions on vehicle topics. You can connect with John on Linkedin and follow his work at our X channel. Please note that stories carrying John's by-line are never AI-generated, but he does employ Grammarly grammar and punctuation software when proofreading. 

Chart of EV deliveries in America by Quarter created by John Goreham.

Image of Mustang Mach-E cars in stock by John Goreham