Electric vehicles are hard to find at the Chicago Auto Show. Next year will be a different story

The auto industry is betting hundreds of billions of dollars that this is the decade you’re going tobuy an electric vehicle.

From a sporty FordMustang crossover to the rebirth of a brawny GMCHummer truck, legacy and startup automakers alike have hundreds of electric vehicles in the development pipeline, with industry projections that EV sales will surpass traditional internal combustion engines by 2030.

But at the Chicago Auto Show, which runs Feb. 8 to 17 atMcCormick Place, full battery-powered EVs were as few and far between as they are on America’s roadways, with only a handful of models on display that you can buy and drive now. Based on EV product launches scheduled for 2020 alone, that should change dramatically by next year’s show.

“We feel there’s going to be a lot of growth,” said Ted Cannis, global head of electrification for Ford, which is featuring theMustangMach-E at the auto show. “Once you get that critical mass moving and it’s going to startmoving because of us and others in the industry you’ll have a whole pipeline of activity then.”

Little more than a science experiment at the turn of the century, mass produced EVs began hitting themarket around 2010 with early entries such as the Nissan Leaf. But limited range, expensive batteries and the lack of an out-of-home charging infrastructure made them little more than a fringe offering.

In 2012, California-based Tesla disrupted the automotive world when it began delivery of its sleek but pricey Model S, which brought blazing speed, 300-mile range and a new vision of electrification to the industry. Tesla delivered 367,500 electric vehicles last year and although it has yet to turn an annual profit, it surpassed $100 billion in valuation more thanGMand Ford combined.

While EVs accounted for less than 2% of all auto sales in 2019, automakers are all in for 2020, from Detroit’s Big Three to startup electric truck manufacturer Rivian, which is set to begin production later this year in downstateNormal.

Tesla and Rivian were no-shows at this year’s auto show, but roughly 10 EV models are on display. Here are some highlights:

FordMustangMach-E

Announced inNovember, the allelectric 2021MustangMach-E crossover is expected to roll out later this year, with an inaugural production run of about 50,000 vehicles. Built inMexico, the Mach-E comes in rear-wheel and allwheel drive and starts at about $44,000, with a high-performance GT version priced at about $60,000. Both qualify for a full $7,500 federal tax rebate.

Themodels offer a target range of 250 to 300 miles, with the GT version doing 0 to 60 mph in just over 3 seconds. Branding it aMustang was a “pretty bold statement around electrification” plans for Ford, according to Dave Pericak, director of icons for the automaker.

“We didn’t take the decision to make it aMustang lightly,” said Pericak, who previously served asMustang’s chief engineer. “It will have all the performance, but it will have a soul. It’s just a ton of fun.”

The spartan interior includes a 15-inch display screen that will use machine learning to anticipate your habits, such as asking if you want to phone home on your return commute after work. It also has low-tech features such as a cupholder.

Ford also has an all-electric F-150 truck in the developmental pipeline, but hasn’t disclosedmany of its electrification plans. Pericak said launching with two iconic nameplates shows that Ford is “leaning in,” despite the dearth of electric vehicles at the 2020 show.

“Electrification is a big part of our plan and where we’re headed,” Pericak said.

Audi e-tron

Audi, which is owned by German automaker Volkswagen, rolled out its first EV offering last year, the e-tron. By 2025, it expects a third of itsU.S. product line to be electric, according to Cody Thacker, head of electrification for Audi of America.

The featured speaker at an auto show luncheon Thursday given by The Economic Club of Chicago, Thacker said the auto industry is investing $300 billion into electrification, and that consumer adoption will become widespread.

Thacker said the biggest barrier to adoption is “range anxiety,” the fear of running out of juice before finding a plug to recharge your vehicle. While most daily commutes are less than 30 miles, Thacker said getting to “the family reunion inOhio” remains a concern for EV owners.

“That is real, that’s something we have to think about,” Thacker said at the luncheon. “This is where the public charging infrastructure needs to get deployed.”

Audi has a white e-tron SUV on display at the auto show. The all-wheel drive vehicle, which sells for about $75,000, has a range of 204 miles and does 0 to 60 mph in 5.5 seconds. It was parked, fittingly, next to an Electrify America charging station at the auto show.

Electrify America, which is also owned by Volkswagen, is investing $2 billion in a nationwide charging network as part of the automaker’s massive 2016 settlement with federal and state regulators over its diesel emissions testing scandal. The company expects to have 800 charging stations with about 3,500 chargers in 45 states by the end of next year.

Thacker said even though automakers are gearing up, the consumer side of the equation is “not quite ready to go yet,” Thacker said. EV prices will need to come down and the infrastructure needs to be developed for widespread adoption to become a reality.

“Range anxiety is real. People are worried if I havemy family in the car and it’s the middle of the night and I have five miles left, I want to know that I can pull off the highway and chargemy vehicle,” he said.

ChevroletBolt

Launched in 2017, Chevrolet’s allelectric subcompact crossed the 200,000 sales mark last year, which triggers a one-year phase-out of the $7,500 federal tax incentive. Buyers can still get a $1,875 credit throughMarch 31.

The 2020 Bolt, which sells for about $37,000 before the tax credit has boosted its range by 10% this year to 259 miles on a full charge, making it amore attractive, if utilitarian, EV offering than some its flashier rivals.

In January, there were 3,000 Bolts sold its best salesmonth ever, according to Chevrolet spokesman SteveMajoris.

“The reality is, Bolt EV was the first to crack the code on range and cost, and continues to do that,” Marjoris said. “Other entries have come into the marketplace, but the Bolt EV still has the most range with the exception of a highperformance TeslaModel 3.”

Majoris said the resurgent success of the Bolt is “just a precursor” to new EVs in the pipeline from Chevrolet and GM, including the rebirth of theHummer nameplate once the embodiment of a gas-guzzling behemoth asGMC’s first allelectric truck. TheHummer, which will be built at theDetroit-Hamtramck plant, was teased in a Super Bowl spot, with plans to reveal the vehicle inMay.

“There’s going to be a lot of news from Chevrolet and GM,” Majoris said. “We know where the market is going.”

Despite the growing buzz over EVs, old-school, gas guzzlingmuscle cars are still stealing the show. Visitors at the Thursday previewmostly bypassed a pair of Chevy Bolt EVs for a 490-horsepower Corvette Stingray, while a 660-horsepower GT Liquid Carbon supercar is Ford’s most prominent display.

Pericak didn’t bother to offer mileage estimates for GT Liquid Carbon, which sells for $750,000.

“We don’t worry about that in a car like this,” Pericak said.

rchannick@chicagotribune.com