eBay Launches Comprehensive Green Driving Site

Unique items like this 1909 Walker all-electric delivery van will draw attention to eBay's Green Driving center, but the site also features a decent selection of today's plug-in cars, like the Chevy Volt, Nissan LEAF and Tesla Roadster.

Last week, we reported that ordering a Nissan LEAF no longer requires an online reservation or a long wait—just go into a dealership and buy the electric car like any other car. In an even more dramatic sign that buying a green car, like an EV, is “normal” if not mainstream, eBay last week launched its Green Driving Center.

A click through the site’s inventory reveals popular electric choices and a small but growing collection of EV articles. (I’m biased about the site and its articles because I consulted with eBay in the creation of the site.)

But what’s most remarkable about eBay and EVs is the inventory of electric cars that consumers can buy right away. Here’s what I’m seeing today in the eBay Green Driving’s browse-able inventory of electric cars:

• Seven Chevy Volts
• Five Tesla Roadsters
• Three Nissan LEAFs
• Two Think City EVs
• One Fisker Karma
• Two Wheegos
• About 10 Neighborhood Electric Vehicles, mostly GEMs and Zaps
• An assortment of conversions, last-generation EVs (Solectria and Commuta-Car), and even a 1909 electric delivery van with an asking price of $127,500

This small but active marketplace—of both viable new EVs and intriguing older models—is very likely to grow over time. Right now there might only be a few dozen EVs on eBay, but electric cars should follow in the path of hybrids, which have been on the US market for more than a decade. eBay today lists nearly 800 hybrids for sale.

eBay had good timing for the launch of its Green Driving center. "With the national gas price average reaching $3.83 in March—and today’s national gas price average standing at $3.89,” eBay states in a press release, “There’s never been a better time to green your driving and ease some of the pressure on your wallet."