@sergeyb I'm going to list reasons why I think the buying public has hit a stone wall and EV sales stopped far short of "predictions". Please feel free to rebut. Mostly "its about money" but its also things like how Americans live, feel, and what they are used to. Feel free to rebut each line. I will add my personal opinion in
blue
To give perspective on numbers there are some 290,000,000 registered cars in the US as of 9/22
Per the DOE, official stats
There are some 2.4M EVs on the road as of 2022. So EVs make up LESS THAN 1% of registered vehicles. They are so far DEEP IN THE NOISE, they are not significant enough to matter much. Some states have so few EVs as to insignficant footnotes in history, like MI with 33K EV vs 7M ice. Its not even worth discussion.
Perspective matters.
Money
1. Despite the "incentives", they simply cost too much compared to their comparable ICE.
I don't want to pay 15% more for an equivalent. Don't care ONE BIT about being faster. its a "utility" vehicle. If I want go fast, I drive sports cars, not a top heavy, truck.
2. I think Depreciation is bad. Nobody wants a used EV
Tradein value - TCO, matters although Im not convince many people understand TCO.
3. Insurance is higher than the comparable ICE
Yes, that's an issue. Money matters. Thermal runaway matters for insurance purposes if it causes rates to increase.
4. Cost to repair is higher
All these money things add up
Infrastructure
5. Many people don't have garages or live in apartments, townhouses with community parking. This is a BIG part of America. Huge. No charging for you. I understand new builds might include some but existing ones would
ADD to HOA fees and many people rebel at that thought of price increases. Its bad enough as it is.
This is a HUGE issue for much of the population. They can't assume everyone has a cozy garage. I see community parking all over the place and you park where you can and it changes all the time.
6. Sunk costs for single family homes. Who wants to drop $3 -5K? Whatever, for some sunk costs for a home charging stations (electrician, sub panel, wiring, charging bits), what ever it costs when gas stations are everywhere.
I see sunk costs a big issue. Who wants to drop $3K or more only to find out they hate EVs or then move, or whatever? Many times people got barely enough money to buy a new car never mind have to invest in their house. This is a real issue.
7. No need to discuss infrastructure on the road. Even the DOE Sec couldn't charge her car
8. Why are so many charging stations broken? Americans won't put up with that nonsense, We spoiled
Many electric vehicle chargers across the U.S. do not work properly, creating a significant challenge for the Biden administration's agenda and a shift away from gasoline-powered cars.
www.politico.com
9. Blackouts occur all the time. Add more EVs, how will the grid possibly handle it when the number of EVs today is minuscule?
We get days in the summer where the electric company begs its customers to not use electric. Now add some huge number of cars. It will likely fail. 1% today is nothing,
Convenience
10. We lazy
How many people will remember to plugin at night? How many people here forget to plug in their smart chargers? Or don't want to "because"
Yeah, I can be lazy too. Who want to be FORCED to do this? Don't force me to do anything, The older one gets, the more I don't want to do Anything
11. Who wants to wait even 10 minutes for charging on the road? eg. I hit a gas station and GONE in 5 minutes. I ain't waiting for nobody. Don't tell me charge at home because I've driven around the entire country many, many times and am NOT home.
Patience is not one of my many virtues. Not in any way. I don't do lines. I leave. And then NEVER go back to where the line was. Time is short and the older you get, the more precious time becomes. This is a REAL issue.
12. Hurricanes, power goes out. Its a thing. We've been out of power for weeks at a time. Don't tell me "sorry". But gas station are open 20 miles away. Its a thing and I aint talking just FL. Its not just hurricane. Power goes out for many reasons from massive thunderstorms to snowstorms.
Another REAL issue. I've been without power for a week at time. That is not tolerable ALSO not have a car. Thats especially bad during snow.
Mandates
13. Generally, Americans hate mandates. They rebel and will buy only what they want.
They create black markets and ignore the mandates.
Look no further than Prohibition and the creation of an Amendment then another Amendment to repeal the first. Or look at the massive PSA campaigns, not a mandate, to stop smoking, and yet, people smoke despite sin taxes.
The free market should define consumer buys. Want some cheap stuff from Amazon? Your choice. Want to pay top dollar for American made? Your choice. But to FORCE people to buy anything will not be tolerated by many UNLESS it make economic sense that the buyer can see and feel.
By this we are talking the early adopter are done. Early adopter "adopt". At just shy of 1% of cars on the road, now you got to convince the real buyers and not the early adopter who adopt just to change.
I won't go further than that other than an example, Given a choice of incandescent bulbs, halogens bulbs, CFL bulbs, and LED bulbs, inevitably, despite an initial higher cost, LEDs prevailed not because incandescent bulbs were mandated away. But because LEDs became reasonable priced AND the wattage was far less.
One could see a real difference in monthly electric bills month to money over incandescents nm the longer lives.
IOW Money matters. Otherwise the hoarders are still using incandescents despite more expensive monthly electric bills.
For EVs, the consumer has to freely see the same thing, a true mostly cost difference and not some wish list.
Feel free to rebut. Its just a discussion and relevant to a Macan ICE vs EV debate.
