Dec 29 - The Oregonian, Oregon


Despite their hype and early sales, plug-in hybrid electric vehicles and all-electric vehicles make up only a tiny part of the car market. And hybrids, those electric cars that also rely on gasoline, will continue to dominate the electric vehicle niche in coming years.

Those are some of the conclusions of a report by Boulder, Colo.-based market research firm Pike Research. The report forecasts trends for 2010 and the coming decade.

While many optimists see large potential for growth in hybrid cars, Pike Research sees relatively low gas prices and expensive batteries continuing to limit the growth of hybrids. The report says:

"This combined market for electrified vehicles will represent just a small (2.5%) portion of the total vehicle market. Yet, it will require billions of dollars in investment in charging equipment and upgrades to the power grid to manage the additional load. In 2015, Pike Research forecasts that charging stations where drivers can plug in and recharge their vehicles will be available at more than 5.3 million locations around the globe."

-----

To see more of The Oregonian, or to subscribe the newspaper, go to http://www.oregonian.com.

Copyright (c) 2009, The Oregonian, Portland, Ore.

Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services.

(c) 2009, McClatchy-Tribune Information Services