The Electric Vehicle (EV) discussion thread (Merged)

Infoman said
Didn't say they needed to appeal to everyone... my point was... it doesn't appeal to the vast majority of car buyers for a myriad of reasons today.... and I am pointing out who they are, and why they are not buying.

We can nit pick who they are and are not.... but in broad terms they are who I am identifying... the sales numbers say so... Who can and who will buy is totally relevant when you have car lots that can't sell the things.

https://www.businessinsider.com/auto-dealerships-inventory-electric-vehicles-gas-cars-key-problems-2023-6#:~:text=New car inventory on dealer,343% from a year ago.

It's a 5 - 10% sales market... it will stay that way unless a ton of changes and advances are made in all aspects that we already touched on.

EV markets will consist of upper-middle class/middle class (or better) private owners, large city and close proximity suburbanites within that group, and corporate fleet.... and not much else.

Urban folks, apartment folks, duplex folks, college students, etc etc etc may not have a residence capable of charging and no INFRA nearby... my point is there are only a finite number of people who CAN get an EV... and even more finite that WILL get an EV...

As an engineer... my plan would have been rechargeable gas/electric hybrids only until all the infrastructure issues, range issues, and cost issues were addressed... and most importantly a diverse market was there for full EVs to take hold in it.

You say these things - but they don’t really hold up examination, which suggests that these are feelings more than thoughtful analysis. That’s fine, you’re entitled to have feelings, but the reality is far more nuanced than what appears to be feelings you have about it . . . for whatever reason.

The average price of a new ICE car sold in the United States right now is $47,218. The average price of a new EV sold in the US is $53,758. The top 5 most popular EV cars sold in the US right now have models priced under the average ICE car price, including the popular Tesla Model 3 ($38,990) and the Hyundai Ioniq-5 ($41,650). People are spending big money on new cars, both ICE and EV - new cars are just expensive these days.

Another data point you reference is people whose living arrangements don't allow for home charging. If you look at the numbers, about 2/3 (67%) of Americans live in single-family homes - where adding a home charge-point is not only viable but cost effective. On top of that, it is estimated that about 5% of residential complexes have charging available . . . yes, it's a low number but it is something that is happening and likely to grow in availability. The idea that home charging is not available to most Americans is just plain inaccurate.

What is a far more sensible explanation is that EV is new and adoption is slow. Yes, for large segments of the US population EV is not appealing - for many of them that is due to practical reasons (like they actually do need the range) but for many others it is due to either ignorance or prejudice . . . both of which are real and simply part of how a large market operates. There are human factors at play to be sure.

But to think that the EV share of the US market has been growing steadily - and will simply stop at 5 to 10% because feelings is not persuasive. I think it all continues to grow, perhaps more slowly at times and more rapidly at times - and that growth will include new models, new technology, new developments in range and charging availability. And it will include, necessarily, new buyers.

https://clark.com/cars/average-new-car-price/
https://www.findmyelectric.com/blog/electric-car-prices/

https://www.statista.com/topics/5144/single-family-homes-in-the-us/