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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

#681

Post by braiamp »

> 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 persists even though in 2023 the average US driver traveled only about 40 miles a day, and in 2022 about 93% of US trips were less than 30 miles. Still, in a survey conducted by Ipsos last fall, 73% of respondents indicated they had concerns about EV range.

This right here is the problem. For >99% of your yearly trips you do not need the range. EV's aren't 100% replacements of ICE. They are a replacement for urban, interurban and trips under 500 km range. For my country, for example, there's no two way trip that is longer than 200 km, and the ones that are are so rare and usually overnight so you have charging figured out.

Re: Fewer people are buying electric cars in the US

#682

Post by thatfrenchguy »

darkstar_16 wrote: post #447

I think this is a US only problem. People in the US probably take longer road trips than the rest of the world. When I take a Roadtrip, I need a 20 minute break every two hours anyway, and as far as I have seen that is enough for a charge for the next two hours. It's not perfect but I don't think it's as bad as the people in this thread are making it out be. I'm in Europe btw.

I live in the US, the number of folks who told me “can’t buy an EV, I drive for 5 hours straight” is pretty high, it’s fairly crazy. Especially when you think of how much not stopping increases your accident risk.

Re: Fewer people are buying electric cars in the US

#683

Post by complianceowl »

bluGill wrote: post #667
complianceowl wrote: post #658

For those folks who think they're saving the planet by driving an electric car, they need to realize most of the power for their EV is generated by fossil fuels and natural gas -- not wind, solar, or hydro.

In some places, but share of wind and solar is increasing fast. Where I live we are 103% wind - that is we generate more electric from wind than we use (it is exported to other regions nearby and when the wind isn't blowing we do import power from other sources). Meanwhile your ICE is 100% fossil fuel. And the ICE is less efficient at turning those fossil fuels into power than a central power plant.

That's an awesome scenario to be in! Hopefully that scenario becomes more common throughout the world.

Re: Fewer people are buying electric cars in the US

#684

Post by lmpdev »

outlace wrote: post #627

EV’s currently make the most sense for people who own a single family home or otherwise live in a community with readily available near-home chargers, where EV’s are on average more convenient than gas cars. People who rely on street parking and apartment dwellers would likely find EV’s more inconvenient than a gas car. We may be close to saturating the market for the former group. Another factor that could be at pla…

All people in my network have moved on from EVs being the “solution” to transport

The real solution we seem to roughly agree upon is getting cars as a whole off the road where possible

Permanent investment in mass transit and any tech which plugs the gaps is the way forward in our view

The often subpar urban planning in North America (think Phoenix not Montreal) is simply incompatible with a sustainable and decarbonised future

Insisting on EVs over hybrids in the 2020s is a laughable total solution to the current situation we find ourselves in

Re: Fewer people are buying electric cars in the US

#685

Post by apitman »

vertnerd wrote: post #554

1. Range. But this speaks to the failure of the industry to provide charging infrastructure. This was one big thing that Tesla got right. 2. Price. An EV is inherently simpler to build and should cost less. Indeed, early EV offerings were almost affordable, if not for the high cost of the batteries. Now that batteries are less expensive, the automakers are pushing large, expensive cars (because they think they can se…

> The "I want a pickup" idea does not tickle the same brain cells as the "I want an EV" idea.

Very anecdotal but I disagree. My dream vehicle might be a hybrid pickup that sacrifices the frunk for an ICE that can give me much greater range if needed, while still having a full size battery I can use for around town and camping.

Also, EV pickups are basically the perfect work truck for people using plug-in power tools. My neighbor is building a new house, and the workers have needed to borrow our power outlet multiple times.

Re: Fewer people are buying electric cars in the US

#686

Post by dzader »

atestu wrote: post #664
outlace wrote: post #627

EV’s currently make the most sense for people who own a single family home or otherwise live in a community with readily available near-home chargers, where EV’s are on average more convenient than gas cars. People who rely on street parking and apartment dwellers would likely find EV’s more inconvenient than a gas car. We may be close to saturating the market for the former group. Another factor that could be at pla…

I'm in that first group and I don't see how it makes the most sense. They are not more convenient. I can "charge" my gas car in 2 minutes basically anywhere in the country. I'm going on vacation next week, driving with 2 young children. It'll be about a 11 hour drive which is not crazy for a US vacation. I don't want to plan where I stop and stop for 45 minutes to fuel up with 2 toddlers in the car. And they're all m…

[dead]

Re: Fewer people are buying electric cars in the US

#687

Post by vel0city »

donatj wrote: post #542
pornel wrote: post #522

Earlier quoted context omitted.

There are outdoor chargers, if you have a driveway. Also note that in city/commute use BEV needs to be charged about once a week, not every night.

I’ve thought about that. There is a fence immediately right of my driveway and an alley immediately left. I have very little space to install any sort of pole, and as I live in Minnesota, what little space I do have is needed badly for snow storage. It’s already a problem, last winter the snow was stacked above 6 feet either side. The left side of my garage potentially has room for a charger to be mounted to the face…

The cable lengths can vary. The EVSE I recently installed has 24ft of cable. I can't speak to what the cable is like in that cold though, around here my garage rarely gets below freezing.

https://grizzl-e.com/products-specs/grizzl-e-classic/

Re: Fewer people are buying electric cars in the US

#688

Post by Aqueous »

Sorry, but in what world do sales of electric cars going up and market share of electric vehicles increasing lead to the thesis that "fewer people are buying electric cars?"

Oh - I get it. It's the world where this publication wants clicks for ad revenue.

"Sure, electric vehicles are becoming more and more widely adopted, but wouldn't it be better for this article if they weren't?"

Re: Fewer people are buying electric cars in the US

#689

Post by olavgg »

Im grateful that the Norwegian gouverment sponsored me a top specced Porsche Taycan Turbo for half the price. Now I drive more than ever, because now driving is really fun.

I will repay the Norwegian gouverment by announcing my move to Sweden. I cannot let my kids grow up in a country that spend tax money like a drunk sailor.

Re: Fewer people are buying electric cars in the US

#690

Post by Workaccount2 »

epolanski wrote: post #381

Unsurprisingly, more cars, even if electric, are not a solution. Yet again, the answer is better public transport.

As better transport thins traffic on roads, driving cars just becomes more desirable.

A personal car in a low traffic area will always be dramatically more preferred than even the most fancy clean bus.

So yes, I hope everyone starts using public transit, so that my car driving becomes even better.

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