The US Energy Information Administration on Tuesday said US electric vehicle sales have been sluggish, but EV proponents contend the EIA’s focus on market share misses the more important EV sales growth-rate indicator. Electrified vehicles — which EIA defines as hybrid electric, plug-in hybrid electric, and battery electric — have been sold as high-fuel-economy alternatives to conventional gasoline vehicles for several years, “but collectively have been slow to gain market share in the United States,” the data and analysis arm of the US Department of Energy observed. Specifically, from 2012 through 2017, EVs accounted for between 2.5% and 4% of total light-duty vehicle sales, during which time the number of available models increased from 58 to 95, EIA said. Citing sales data from Wards Automotive, EIA found the BEV share of total light-duty-vehicle sales grew the most since 2012, but only accounted for 0.6% of 2017 sales. The PHEV […]