greenliving
Green Car Buying Tips Fuel Economy Plus Sales
Incentives Equal Big Savings by Jim Motavalli
Many of the greener choices are now a
tremendous bargain for consumers. The federal
government currently offers a tax credit of up to $4,500 for electrified vehicles, and many states kick in with added subsidies.
a record 59 models available now, the share was just 2.87 percent in 2016. As Millennials—the generation that could be buying 40 percent of all new vehicles by 2020—fully emerge into the marketplace, eco-car numbers could zoom, although some think it’s possible they’ll by shunning car purchases for car-sharing services. “The market has continued to
W
hile some carmakers are filling showrooms with ever- larger gas-guzzling sport util-
ity vehicles (SUV) thanks to lower gas prices, some car buyers want to do just the opposite and go greener with their wheels. Fortunately, more eco-friendly options exist than ever before—many
of which come with surprising per- sonal benefits in addition to a cleaner, greener planet. The green share of the U.S. auto market, combining battery electrics, hybrids and plug-in hybrids, peaked at 3.8 percent in 2013, according to the Automotive News Data Center. Despite
shift to crossovers and big SUVs, and there aren’t many hybrid models avail- able in those categories,” says Sam Abuelsamid, senior research analyst at Navigant Research. “We expect that to change in the next couple of years, when vehicles like the hybrid Ford Explorer reach the public.” Navigant projects only 3.4 percent annual compounded growth in hybrid sales by 2025, but a much more robust 31 percent rise in battery-run electrics. “Conventional hybrids without a plug no longer have the halo they once had,” says Bradley Berman, founder of
HybridCars.com. “The cut- ting edge has moved to electric cars with ever-bigger battery packs and longer electric range. With gas prices at relatively low levels, the green car market remains a small niche.”
Getting a Green Bargain Many of the greener choices are now a tremendous bargain for consumers. The federal government currently offers a tax credit of up to $4,500 for electrified vehicles, and many states kick in with added subsidies. Highlights include max- imums available for electric vehicles (EV) with big batteries: California, $1,500 in rebates, plus single-occupant use of the high-occupancy vehicle lanes; Colorado, $5,000; Connecticut, $3,000; Delaware,
14 Austin Edition
AustinAwakenings.com
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