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Science
Electric Cars Are Zooming Up in Sales
The nation's overall economy may be sluggish, but U.S. auto sales in August were better than expected. Some "green" cars are doing even better in the Bay Area.
Rising gas prices spurred sales of small cars and more fuel-efficient cars in August. One hybrid plug-in car in particular had a jump in sales: the Chevy Volt. During August, General Motors sold more than 2,800 Volts. California has become the Volt’s biggest market.
In contrast, Nissan’s all-electric Leaf and Toyota’s new Prius plug-in hybrid each sold about 750 cars.
Although the overall plug-in car market remains small, analysts expect sales to double this year.
And many are waiting to see how Silicon Valley's Tesla Motors does by the end of the year, with sales of its new longer-range all-electric Model S.
