Electric vehicles are gaining ground in the United States despite the ongoing semiconductor shortage. Data from financial firm Experian indicates that EV registrations rose 60% in the United States in the first quarter of 2022.
During Q1 2022, EV registrations hit 158,689 units, taking a record 4.6% of the overall light vehicle market. This was despite total vehicle registrations falling 18% in the first quarter to 3.4 million units.
Electric vehicle leader Tesla took a commanding lead in the US’ EV segment, with all four of its existing vehicle offerings taking a spot in the EV Top 10 list. Tesla notched a total of 113,882 registrations in the first quarter, according to Automotive News, which represented a 59% gain compared to Q1 2021.
The individual numbers of Tesla’s existing lineup are very impressive. The Model Y crossover, a vehicle that CEO Elon Musk expects could be the world’s best-selling car, saw a total of 52,051 registrations in Q1 2022. Its midsize sedan sibling, the Model 3, saw a total of 47,682 registrations in the same period.
This effectively made the Model Y and the Model 3 into the US’ Top 2 best-selling EVs. The Model S took third place with 9,250 registrations, while the Model X stood at seventh place with 4,899 registrations. While having significantly fewer registrations than the Model 3 and Model Y, the Model S and Model X’s results were still impressive as that they outsold far more affordable competitors.
The Ford Mustang Mach-E, for example, took fourth place with 6,957 registrations, placing it behind the much more expensive Model S. The Volkswagen ID.4, on the other hand, only posted 2,926 registrations, placing it far behind the much more costly Model X.
Interestingly enough, General Motors, which is heralded by the Biden administration as one of the leaders in the EV movement, only saw a conservative number of electric vehicle registrations in Q1 2022. Chevrolet only had 479 EV registrations for the Bolt EV and EUV, and the GMC Hummer EV saw only 80 registrations in the first quarter of 2022.