Sure it was approached not in the way it had to be. It requires a long-term commitment - longer than duration of one administration. And it requires actual mandates, like we do in EU. Simply put, there are norms of how many electric cars should be sold and on the road in every country every year, and countries face steep fines if they don't. There is no way to object apart from leaving the EU which means instant econ…
Fewer people are buying electric cars in the US
281–290 of 1001 posts
Re: Fewer people are buying electric cars in the US
#282Imagine 2 seemingly environmentally conscious buyers debating between a Corolla and a Hummer:
"How far can the Corolla go on a tank? 325mi. OK, well how far can the Hummer go? Well it's got the extended safari tank, so it can go 500mi. Got it, so obviously I'm going to get the Hummer."
No ICE buyers who have any concern for the environment would ever compare two ICE cars using only the total range figure, and completely disregard the MPG. In fact it's the complete opposite. Most would consider the Hummer absurd solely due to its atrocious fuel economy.
Similarly, these same people will say things like:
"Be sure to turn off the lights when you leave a room"
"I changed out my LEDs because they're so much more efficient than those old incandescents"
So why are they so obsessed with saving electricity in that context, but never even begin to think about the equivalent value for, say, a Tesla Y vs. a Rivian? In fact a Rivian has the same "green cred" to most buyers as does a Model 3. Yet the same person would chastise someone for running incandescent bulbs or for leaving the lights on when you leave the house.
I'm certain that the difference in electrical energy usage between a month of driving a Rivian vs say a Model 3 overshadows a year of using LEDs bulbs in your house vs incandescents. Yet no one even thinks about it.
People are incredibly illogical when it comes to EVs.
Re: Fewer people are buying electric cars in the US
#283Re: Fewer people are buying electric cars in the US
#284Earlier quoted context omitted.
People focus too much on edge cases when making life decisions, imo. > We need a dining room for when we have parties (has a party once every 2 years; room sits empty 99% of the time) > We need a guest bedroom (guests could stay at the hotel down the street) > I need a pickup truck (driver is an accountant who maybe picks up a couple bags of mulch from Lowes twice a year) I'm glad I live in a prosperous society where…
The edge cases are the important cases though. Those parties I throw are the highlight of my year. My parents staying here with me is important to me, I wouldn't have it any other way. Yeah I have a desk job but that landscaping work I do in my weekend is one of my favourite hobbies. I refuse to live my life as if these things aren't important to me. I refuse to average my entire life style down to my median day. My…
Re: Fewer people are buying electric cars in the US
#285Earlier quoted context omitted.
After taking an EV on a ~6500 mile road trip a couple months ago, I never want to road trip in a gas car ever again. Highlights: - by the 2.5-3.5 hour mark between charges, I'm ready for a 25-35 min break and its somewhere nice and not a gas station - stop anywhere and sleep with air conditioning for free - never have to use gas station bathroom - never have to calculate any routes or fuel stops - also no gas cars dr…
How are these easier in EVs than in ICE cars? > - by the 2.5-3.5 hour mark between charges, I'm ready for a 25-35 min break and its somewhere nice and not a gas station What does that have to do with the power source? You can take breaks anywhere in an ICE vehicle too. > - never have to use gas station bathroom Can't you use the same bathrooms in ICE vehicles? Are they EV only? Does your EV include a half-bath? > - n…
No idea if it's right, but I think they are saying that places with EV chargers tend to be nicer than gas stations. And maybe ICE drivers can stop at those places, but are they really going to make an extra stop when they already have to get gas?
I'd point out that this is probably a temporary phenomenon, due to the relative rarity of EVs and their status as luxury items. Once everyone has them and they're cheap, I'll bet the EV charging stations' bathrooms will be just as bad.
Re: Fewer people are buying electric cars in the US
#286I've owned several EVs over the past 10 years, and I've settled on a so-called "hybrid garage." That is, one EV and one PHEV. I've owned two luxury EV brands priced over $80k, and yet my favorite EV is still my first one, a 2013 LEAF now worth less than $5k. The cheap and tiny EV is a no-fuss/no-worry car that zips me around town for my daily driving. It's small and nimble, and I don't really care about what happens…
> My next car is going to be a midlife crisis purchase, and I'm taking a pretty hard look at a manual transmission ICE.
That sounds like a Porsche 911 Carrera T, at least that would be my midlife crisis choice if I had the money.
Re: Fewer people are buying electric cars in the US
#287Earlier quoted context omitted.
People focus too much on edge cases when making life decisions, imo. > We need a dining room for when we have parties (has a party once every 2 years; room sits empty 99% of the time) > We need a guest bedroom (guests could stay at the hotel down the street) > I need a pickup truck (driver is an accountant who maybe picks up a couple bags of mulch from Lowes twice a year) I'm glad I live in a prosperous society where…
The edge cases are the important cases though. Those parties I throw are the highlight of my year. My parents staying here with me is important to me, I wouldn't have it any other way. Yeah I have a desk job but that landscaping work I do in my weekend is one of my favourite hobbies. I refuse to live my life as if these things aren't important to me. I refuse to average my entire life style down to my median day. My…
Re: Fewer people are buying electric cars in the US
#288The article talks about range concerns as if they're simply incorrect or ill-founded: > Niedermeyer said that while an electric car can meet most people's driving needs, it struggles with edge cases like road trips because of the need to recharge. Since Americans have been promised a one-to-one substitute for their gas cars, this seems like a failure; an EV should be able to do everything a gas car can. This idea per…
People focus too much on edge cases when making life decisions, imo. > We need a dining room for when we have parties (has a party once every 2 years; room sits empty 99% of the time) > We need a guest bedroom (guests could stay at the hotel down the street) > I need a pickup truck (driver is an accountant who maybe picks up a couple bags of mulch from Lowes twice a year) I'm glad I live in a prosperous society where…
How is that annoying?
Re: Fewer people are buying electric cars in the US
#289Reasons: range anxiety, and war anxiety.
I want a Tesla, but the problem is that an electric car becomes a giant paperweight in an emergency.
We have a secondary, small electric car and we use it for short local trips. There’s been more than a few instances where a lapse resulted in not being able to use it because it wasn’t charged fully. And don’t get me started on the state of public charges, it’s a mess.
Don’t get me wrong, I like electric, but edge cases are real and important and so they must be planned for.
Re: Fewer people are buying electric cars in the US
#290The article talks about range concerns as if they're simply incorrect or ill-founded: > Niedermeyer said that while an electric car can meet most people's driving needs, it struggles with edge cases like road trips because of the need to recharge. Since Americans have been promised a one-to-one substitute for their gas cars, this seems like a failure; an EV should be able to do everything a gas car can. This idea per…
People focus too much on edge cases when making life decisions, imo. > We need a dining room for when we have parties (has a party once every 2 years; room sits empty 99% of the time) > We need a guest bedroom (guests could stay at the hotel down the street) > I need a pickup truck (driver is an accountant who maybe picks up a couple bags of mulch from Lowes twice a year) I'm glad I live in a prosperous society where…