Telematics provider Cambridge Mobile Telematics (CMT) announced results of new research into driving trends Thursday, revealing that families that own both a Tesla and car with a combustion engine have been driving their Teslas more.
Specifically, the research reveals that as gas prices have increased since February 2022, Tesla trips accounted for 10 percent more of the trips taken in Tesla/ICE households—those that have both a traditional internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicle and a Tesla.
“We’re seeing a clear link between higher gas prices and mobility, which has been expected for some time,” said Ryan McMahon, VP of Strategy for CMT, in a media statement. “What’s unique here is CMT’s ability to analyze how mileage has shifted from ICE vehicles to electric vehicles when drivers have that option.”
The research shows an inverse correlation between gas prices and miles driven in ICE vehicles. The analysis looks at miles driven in 2022 compared to 2021. While ICE mileage for the month of February looked similar to February 2021, 2022 mileage dropped as gas prices rose. By May, ICE mileage dropped to 5 percent below May 2021, and it has steadily dropped to 8.5 percent below 2021 since.
While overall Tesla mileage does not show a clear relationship to gas prices, with miles driven in all Teslas increasing just slightly over the same time period, within Tesla/ICE households, Tesla trips increased to 70 percent since February 2022. Before February, Tesla made up 63 percent of total trips in Tesla/ICE households.
The data for the new research comes from millions of vehicles across the CMT DriveWell Platform. CMT deploys a number of methodologies and technologies to match drivers to a specific vehicle and the trips taken in that vehicle. For this analysis, CMT researchers relied on CMT’s DriveWell Tag, an intelligent Bluetooth device that sticks to a vehicle’s windshield. The Tag pairs with the driver’s smartphone, enabling miles driven to be attributed to a specific vehicle.
Source: Cambridge Mobile Telematics