Why Americans don't buy Electric Vehicles

One thing bothered me about my previous post: “If you ignore the top 3…”

OK, if you ignore those top 3, that’s 2 million vehicle sales per year…. which means you’d have to electrify 4th through 9th place on that list (RAV4, Rogue, Camry, Equinox, Civic, Corolla) just to get volume parity.

That’s leaving too much of the market unserved.

So… can we get an electric F-150 quad cab for $33k? (seems to be about the median of prices paid from my brief web search)

Now, I realize that an EV owner is likely to save money on maintenance and energy vs. a gas powered same-old. But this is not getting through to many potential buyers.

I have to wonder if the problem could be aided by vehicle manufacturers signing up to become electrical power suppliers. I’m not sure of the correct terminology- I mean those companies that don’t actually own any power generation or distribution but they broker the deals such that a consumer can effectively buy 100% wind power etc. I’d put a different spin on it: Ford sells you the truck for $X, which is less than their normal profit margin. But they also make you sign a contract to buy your electricity from them, giving them a way to eventually recover that profit.

 

I bet I am not the only one wishing for $4-5/gal gas. If and when that happens, literally truck loads of people are going to jump on the EV bandwagon.

 

That's like wishing for a recession.

 

I really doubt that’s enough to do it. Everybody’s going to remember how prices came right back down later and that hope (however irrational) will keep them going.

You really want to spur EV demand? Tear down gas stations. Turn the act of getting gas into a 3 hour process. That way it takes longer to get to the remaining ones and once they arrive it’s a huge line.

 

You maybe right. To be effective, the gas price has to be high and stay high like in CA. Everyone knows why BEV sales are high in that state.

 

In California it’s all about the HOV lane access stickers. It’s that time-saving convenience that sucks the buyers in, nothing to do with greenness or fuel price.

I do business in California and have many friends residing there. Several of them own PHEVs or EVs. Every single one of them has told me that they’ll drive whatever the state tells them to, as long as they get that solo carpool lane access.

Right now for most other people, the time-saving convenience of replenishing the car’s range at ~6000MPH at the pump is winning.

 

Really? So, if your explanation is correct. Hypothetically, if CA abandon solo carpool lane access privilege for any vehicle, but keep the gas tax so high that it would cost $4-5/gal while electricity remains relatively cheap, you still expect decline in BEV sales?

 

is electricity relatively cheap in cali? i know it varies and many have tou

i do agree that for many prime owners there, hov is the main driver. just check dianne's threads

 

We used to send 90% of freight by train, in of itself it didn’t always cause a recession.

Unplanned changes cause recession, instead of burning through our resources first we could actually plan and legislate around the most efficient means.

Repaving highways every year and burning lots of diesel probably isn’t sustainable

When our state mentioned the estimated cost of road repairs needed it was around $100,000 per working resident.


Based on that can we afford what we are doing?

 

at the state level, yes. at the fed, obviously not. but none of that changes anything

 

I understand that point. Nonetheless, my point was that for the minority of households that only own a single vehicle (mine, for one) having a BEV as the only car is largely untenable.

 

Yes. I think everybody out there who wanted a self propelled virtue signaller has long since bought in. Obviously they will eventually need replacements, and trade-ups, and that there are still some to be sold as fashion accessories, but I think a lot of the appeal is the HOV stickers.

A heck of a lot depends on how long that fuel price stays up. Maybe just an election cycle?

 

I don't see the first EV pick ups priced that low, but I don't think they won't become reasonably priced.

The rules governing power utilities vary by state. So Ford becoming a power supplier will mean a fair amount of overhead for them to get into the market, and they may not be able to do so in some states. For example, Pa has an open electric market, except for a couple of townships, including mine, which are exempt from it. So I couldn't buy electricity from Ford for a lower price on an EV truck.

Which is why Glob created PHEVs.

 

As Commander Data might say, "Remarkable". I have a bad feeling in the next few years we may be getting some bad news. Unless they are running a Moonshot-grade underground R&D effort that will to come to fruition just in time for the next recession.

Realistically, yes. Some hardcore enthusiasts will insist that a modern BEV can replace an ICEV as one's sole vehicle, but, as we know, the astute American consumer will listen to many opinions, and then vote with his/her wallet.

- How do you know if someone is a BEV owner?
- ???
- They'll tell you themselves, within 30 seconds

 

I own a 1981 Comutacar might be the only full BEV I will ever own

 

Thread burying the lede on why EV's don't sell better. Only the eco-conscious or early adopting enthusiasts are willing to pay SUV/luxury car prices for a sedan/hatchback. Make it cheaper than an equivalent gasser, and EVs would sell like hotcakes.

That's basically what Norway did and, surprise surprise, 60% of new car sales are EVs. The numbers tell the tale:
VW Golf
Import price: $21,500
CO2 tax: $3,750
NOx tax: $260
Weight tax: $2,500
Value-added tax: $7,000
Total retail cost: $35,000 (all other fees included)

VW e-Golf
Import price: $30,590
CO2 tax: $0 (tailpipe-based)
NOx tax: $0 (tailpipe-based)
Weight tax: $0 (exempt)
Value-added tax: $0 (exempt)
Total retail cost: $31,000 (all other fees included)

I think we forget that cost is often the top 1, 2, and 3 reasons used in car-buying decisions for the vast majority of people.

 

Sorry if my wording was misunderstood, I did not intend to infer that we should be glad for gas prices going up, but rather be glad we have a PHEV or an EV when gas prices go up.