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Fewer people are buying electric cars in the US

businessinsider.com

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Re: Fewer people are buying electric cars in the US

#491

Post by tails4e »

mmaunder wrote: post #227
rappatic wrote: post #60

The 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…

This is spot on. I do a ton of cross country driving and seeing people sitting in their car charging for an hour outside a diner in a gas-station-town off a highway is super common and makes the point. I talk to them. They rationalize it. But you can tell it sucks. We all want a cleaner planet and we need to be able to talk about how to solve the charge time problem without the hysterics and the bullshit.

There is no need to charge for an hour today unless the car is first gen EV or the charger is not a fast charger. The fast charger roll out could be better, but it's expanding quote rapidly, only in the most rural places is it a major issue... That said I have seen cases where people add 30 mins of a diversion to a route to use a fast charger for 30 mins.

Re: Fewer people are buying electric cars in the US

#492

Post by codegrappler »

One thing I have not heard discussed is the all-too-common family visit. If I drive 200 miles to visit some family and stay at their house what’s the etiquette for using their power to charge my car? I wouldn’t feel comfortable asking and saying “I’ve got to leave for two hours to find a charging station” also feels awkward. I want to maximize our time together and not burden folks with needing to pay to charge my car.

Re: Fewer people are buying electric cars in the US

#493

Post by jakewins »

Data: EV sales up 50% YoY. Business Insider headline: “Fewer people are buying electric cars”.

A useful discussion for HN might be: Why are they choosing this framing?

Some discussion in Electrek about why the record growth is framed as if the numbers show absolute-figure declines: https://electrek.co/2023/11/09/which-is-it-already-is-us-ev-...

Re: Fewer people are buying electric cars in the US

#494

Post by theltrj »

the first line of the article "a record 300,000 electric cars sold in the US in the third quarter of 2023"; the spreading of FUD around EVs continues, nothing new here; this time it is from the opposite end of the spectrum from the crowd saying "Getting Americans to ditch driving altogether would be the most effective way to reduce emissions, but it would require a massive rethink of our transport system."

classic case of the great being the enemy of the good;

Re: Fewer people are buying electric cars in the US

#495

Post by doener »

The editorialized headline is not correct. From the article:

"Sure, sales of EVs keep going up — a record 300,000 cars sold in the US in the third quarter of 2023 were electric — but the pace of adoption has markedly slowed, and analysts have suggested the country is no longer on track to hit the government's sales targets."

Re: Fewer people are buying electric cars in the US

#496

Post by cald0s »

codegrappler wrote: post #492

One thing I have not heard discussed is the all-too-common family visit. If I drive 200 miles to visit some family and stay at their house what’s the etiquette for using their power to charge my car? I wouldn’t feel comfortable asking and saying “I’ve got to leave for two hours to find a charging station” also feels awkward. I want to maximize our time together and not burden folks with needing to pay to charge my ca…

Then pay them. It's not hard to figure how much energy you consumed and what the cost of electricity is, make a conservative estimate, round it up and give them the money.

Re: Fewer people are buying electric cars in the US

#497

Post by 2rsf »

ttfkam wrote: post #292
screye wrote: post #242

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I disagree. The sustainable alternative to EVs is hybrids, not gas guzzlers. Hybrids can be smaller, cheaper, lighter and gentler on the grid. Each of these matter. Heavier cars cause significantly higher road wear [1], particulate pollution [2] and occupy more space. EVs by necessity, are heavier. This is especially evident in America's favorite product categories : SUVs and Trucks. The Ford- F150 lightning is 1.5x…

I disagree. The sustainable alternative is to get an EV for 98% of the time and rent a purpose-built vehicle for the edge cases whether those edge cases are for long distance, towing, or hauling. Let the rental companies keep and maintain the gas cars.

I agree and more or less live this way, but it doesn't work for everyone or everywhere. In order to be able to easily and cost efficiently rent a car you need the right infrastructure.

Re: Fewer people are buying electric cars in the US

#498

Post by lukas099 »

mort96 wrote: post #488
lukas099 wrote: post #78

Earlier 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…

I like that you didn't tackle the actual "need" you're trying to criticize, namely the need for a car which is compatible with road trips. For some people, it would look like this: > We need a car which can take us to our vacation home (goes to vacation home once per year, it's unreachable by train or bus and in a location where having a car is important; they could just rent out a rental car for a month for a billio…

From my perspective, your example of a yearly month-long vacation to a personal vacation home is unthinkably extravagent, and anyone in that situation is rich enough not to worry about the inefficiencies I am talking about (from a personal finance POV I mean. From an environmental standpoint it is an abomination)

Re: Fewer people are buying electric cars in the US

#499

Post by kbos87 »

mvdtnz wrote: post #161
lukas099 wrote: post #78

Earlier 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…

This perspective leaves me with little hope for the future of the environment. Nobody is willing to give a single inch when it comes to their comfort, convenience, or self image, externalities be damned.
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