Hybrid, electric car sales rise

Hybrid and electric car purchases set new records last month as more people are opting to plug up, rather than fill up at the gas pump.

Americans bought a record 52,000 gas-electric hybrids and all-electric cars in March, up from 34,000 during the same month last year, according to Ward's AutoInfoBank.

Local dealers say interest in these models has never been greater.

"As soon as we see a spike in gas prices, Prius sales go through the roof," said Paul Horton, new car sales manager at Coad Toyota in Cape Girardeau. "We sell every one we get. We never have an overstock of any of them."

Paul MacDougal of Cape Girardeau, who has driven a Toyota Prius since 2008, describes it as a "peppy little powerhouse."

"It's not a sluggish crappy little car," he said. "You hit the gas on that thing and you're off and running."

MacDougal convinced his wife, Peg, to get a Prius too.

"I do think more people will be buying hybrids because those with big cars and SUVs will not be able to keep up with the increase in gas," she said.

So far this year, Coad Toyota has sold 40 hybrid vehicles, with the majority of those being the Prius, Horton said. A sharp increase from just 10 hybrids sold during the fourth quarter of last year.

Part of the increase in hybrid and electric car sales may be due to the fact that there are now more models available to drivers including the all-electric Nissan Leaf; the Chevy Volt, an electric car with a small back up gas engine; and a new Prius plug-in model that runs longer on battery power, the compact Prius C and the Prius V wagon.

There are currently two Chevy Volts on the lot at Coad Chevrolet in Cape Girardeau. The dealership has sold two others in the past six months.

The cars will drive about 35 miles on a battery charge before their back up engine kicks in, said Randy Ott, sales manager. Then, they get 40 to 50 mpg.

"If you are driving in town and you plug up at night, you'll probably never spend any money on fuel," he said.

While other all-electric models might leave you stranded, Ott says the Volt won't because of its back up engine.

"They're not an economy model. It drives like a normal car, except there is no sound," Ott said. The Volt comes with heated leather seats, a touch-screen navigation system and rear-view back up camera.

General Motors sold 7,671 Volts last year, below its goal of 10,000, but March set a sales record of 2,289. There were 579 of the all-electric Nissan Leaf sold in March in the U.S., according to Ward's AutoInfoBank. The Prius accounted for 57 percent of all hybrids and electrics sold last month.

While these vehicles are saving drivers at the pump, they are more expensive than their gas powered counterparts.

What most manufactures have done is take an economy car, worth around $20,000, and put in $27,000 worth of premium electric components, explained Brian Noto, co-host on EVTV, an online video series on electric car conversions produced in Cape Girardeau. Noto and Jack Rickard have been converting high-end automobiles to electric engines since 2008.

"They're just not making enough of the parts yet. The demand isn't high enough for the price to come down," Noto said. "It's like the cellphone or the computer. When those technologies first came out, they were expensive and for a limited group. The people who are willing to pay more are willing to take a chance on the technology. They're the geeks that want to have the cool stuff."

Noto and Richard think car manufacturer Tesla has the right idea by marketing its all-electric roadster, with a sticker price of more than $100,000, to a high-end crowd. The sports car, which can drive nearly 300 miles on one battery charge, has sold out in North America.

While electric car interest is growing, Noto says it will take many more people to see the benefits of electric cars, including reducing dependence on foreign oil and greenhouse gas emissions, before we see many more on the road, Noto said.

"Until you actually go out and drive it and put your butt in the seat, you don't have any idea what the experience is like," Noto said. "Once we get someone in an electric car, they get it."

Noto and Richard's company, EVTV, will host its second Electric Car Conversion Convention this September at the Show Me Center. Already, more than 100 people have signed up to attend the event, Noto said.

"We're getting a tremendous amount of interest," he said.

mmiller@semissourian.com

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357 Siemers Drive, Cape Girardeau, Mo.