Evaluating Automaker Leaders and Laggards

The Union of Concerned Scientists analysis finds a significant disparity in how automakers deploy electric vehicles (EVs) across the United States. While BMW, General Motors, Nissan, and Tesla are identified as leaders, others like Honda, Toyota, and Fiat Chrysler are labeled laggards due to limited model availability or a lack of plug-in offerings. The report highlights a stark geographic divide, noting that California's Zero Emission Vehicle policy has made it the only state where all available US EV models are offered, while consumers in other regions face severe shortages of EVs at dealerships.

• BMW is the leading major manufacturer in terms of EV sales as a proportion of total sales, exceeding 3 percent nationwide and 7 percent in California.
• Several major automakers are identified as laggards: Honda currently offers no plug-in EVs in the US; Toyota has no plug-in EV for sale in the country after removing the Prius Plug-in; Fiat Chrysler only offers the Fiat 500e in California and Oregon; and Hyundai/Kia has not made its two plug-in models widely available.
• Tesla was the top-selling EV carmaker in 2015, and its Model 3 received over 350,000 reservation deposits.
• California has significantly higher EV availability and sales than any other US state, with 22 different EV models purchased in 2015. This is attributed largely to the state's Zero Emission Vehicle policy.
• EV availability at dealerships is severely limited outside of California. For example, in the first half of 2016, dealers near Los Angeles averaged over 3,000 EV listings, while New York City area dealers offered about 1,000, and Boston-area dealers averaged just over 300.
• A 2016 survey by UCS and Consumers Union indicated strong consumer interest in EVs, finding that over 40 percent of households could potentially use an EV based on parking, plug access, and usage requirements.

APA

Union of Concerned Scientists (2016). Evaluating Automaker Leaders and Laggards. https://www.ucs.org/sites/default/files/attach/2016/08/Electrifying-Vehicle-Market-executive-summary.pdf

Chicago

Union of Concerned Scientists. Evaluating Automaker Leaders and Laggards. 2016. https://www.ucs.org/sites/default/files/attach/2016/08/Electrifying-Vehicle-Market-executive-summary.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Union of Concerned Scientists |title=Evaluating Automaker Leaders and Laggards |date=August 2016 |url=https://www.ucs.org/sites/default/files/attach/2016/08/Electrifying-Vehicle-Market-executive-summary.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{unionofconcernedscientists2016evaluating, author = {{Union of Concerned Scientists}}, title = {{Evaluating Automaker Leaders and Laggards}}, institution = {Union of Concerned Scientists}, year = {2016}, month = aug, url = {https://www.ucs.org/sites/default/files/attach/2016/08/Electrifying-Vehicle-Market-executive-summary.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }