Ford Mustang Suv Starts A Blitz Of New Electric Vehicles

Ford is unveiling its first all-electric SUV, marking the start of an avalanche of batterypowered vehicles coming from mainstream and luxury automakers during the next two years that industry analysts say will boost electric vehicle sales.

The “Mustang Mach E,” which will go 230 miles to more 300 miles per charge depending on how it’s equipped, was unveiled last weekend ahead of the Los Angeles Auto Show press days.

There are 18 now for sale in the US, and IHS Markit expects that to grow to 80 in 2022, including pickup trucks and SUVs that are in the heart of the American market. Yet last year, pure electric vehicles made up only 1.5% of new vehicle sales worldwide, and the consulting firm LMC Automotive predicts that will rise to 2.2% this year. In the U.S., electric vehicles were only 1.2% of sales in 2018, and it’s expected to be about the same this year.

But automakers see opportunity for growth, and with electric vehicles getting 250 miles or more on a single charge, worries about running out of juice on a daily commute are gone. Because of the added models and increased range, LMC predicts that they will make up 17% of global sales and 7% of U.S. sales in 2030.

First-generation electric vehicles, which mainly were retrofitted versions of existing models designed to meet government fuel economy standards, didn’t sell well largely because they couldn’t travel more than 100 miles between charges. But now, many can go beyond the distance people drive in one day with plenty of cushion.

“Seeing 250 miles as a real thing has been kind of a game changer in the electric car market,” said Jake Fisher, director of auto testing for Consumer Reports. “There haven’t been a lot of choices for a vehicle that really could take the place of a mainstream vehicle. It’s a whole different animal now.”