Electric Vehicles

Three charts illustrate how Tesla has transformed the US auto market

Published by

Against many predictions, and the ill-will of stock-market short sellers, Tesla is breaking through and redefining the car market in the US. These three graphs explain how and why.

The graphs, released by industry statistician EV Volumes, back up the news from Tesla CEO and founder Elon Musk that the Model 3 is the 5th best selling car in terms of volume, and the biggest by value, helping to drive the company to a long-awaited profitable quarter with margins of over 20 per cent.

The graph at the top illustrates how the Model 3 has lifted overall sales or EVs and hybrids in the US, which have charged past the one million mark.

The 2018 total sales for plu0-in cars is expected to jump by 82 per cent in 2018, to take a total share of the new car market in the US of 2.1 per cent. Half of those sales, and three out of four full battery electric vehicles (BEV) will come from Tesla.

The next graph below shows that sales by volume of the Model 3 in the US – despite its high price of $US49,000, are catching up to popular family cars like Toyota’s Camry and Corolla, as well as Honda’s Civic and Accord models.

Read the full story on RenewEconomy’s electric vehicle-dedicated site, The Driven…

You can also sign up to TheDriven’s regular, and free, newsletter here.

Bridie Schmidt is lead reporter for The Driven, sister site of Renew Economy. She specialises in writing about new technology, and has a keen interest in the role that zero emissions transport has to play in sustainability.

Bridie Schmidt

Bridie Schmidt is lead reporter for The Driven, sister site of Renew Economy. She specialises in writing about new technology, and has a keen interest in the role that zero emissions transport has to play in sustainability.

Recent Posts

New tax on renewables won’t be retrospective, but will send “opposite message” to foreign investors

Controversial tax changes for foreign renewables investors have dropped one problematic aspect and kept another…

2 July 2026

One in 17 Australian homes now has a solar battery, as rebate installs pass 450,000 at one-year mark

Amid the hype around the launch of the Solar Sharer Offer, federal Labor's flagship consumer…

2 July 2026

State becomes first to ban retail energy “loyalty tax,” in bid to save customers hundreds of dollars a year

State acts where the national rule maker has declined to tread, announcing an Australia-first ban…

2 July 2026

Electrochemical “bath” could bring spent lithium-ion batteries back to life, cut cost of recycling in half

Researchers believe they have found a way to recover almost the full life of lithium-ion…

2 July 2026

Thin white strips on brown slopes: Manufactured ski seasons are fuelling the climate problem

Ribbons of manufactured snow remind us that national parks should be front-line responses to climate…

2 July 2026

Giant remote zinc mine aims to reach at least 80 pct renewables with addition of wind farm and big battery

One of the world's largest zinc mines, in remote north-west Queensland, will be run with…

2 July 2026