Only 31% of Americans want an EV or PHEV. What about you?

[Zorba]

A bit of a counter to the some of the doom coming out of some US automakers about EVs lately. Seems like more a problem on their end than the consumer end.

US EV sales pass 1 million, an increase of 50.7% year-over-year​

https://electrek.co/2023/12/05/us-ev-sales-pass-1-million-2023/

EV sales and government spending are the only places we're a decrease in the rate of increase is called a cut. The media spin on EV demand has been quite annoying.

 

[Greenman]

If I needed a new car, and an EV was comparable in price and operating cost over a five year period, yes, I'd buy one.

 

[iamwiz82]

We have been 100% BEV for a few years now. We have a level 2 at home for the three vehicles, no issues. It does take some logistics to get them charged, but magnitudes lower than going to the gas station. Regardless, I'm more taken by the acceleration of them. 0-60 in the same time as a hyper car while hauling groceries or a load of plywood is fun.

 

[Viper GTS]

We have been 100% BEV for a few years now. We have a level 2 at home for the three vehicles, no issues. It does take some logistics to get them charged, but magnitudes lower than going to the gas station. Regardless, I'm more taken by the acceleration of them. 0-60 in the same time as a hyper car while hauling groceries or a load of plywood is fun.

I did the three EV on one charger thing for a while, it kind of sucks. Highly recommend more chargers if you have a way to pull it off.

Viper GTS

 

[Torn Mind]

Not interested right now because of cost.
If cost drops down, the nature of the fire hazard and shock hazard if some accident occurs is enough to give pause. If they need jaws of life, they have to avoid certain areas to not accidentally hit the battery. As someone whose mother got severely injured in a car accident, it's situations when things are not operating normally that can mean the difference between being unscathed versus morbidity or death.

 

[sdifox]

Not interested right now because of cost.
If cost drops down, the nature of the fire hazard and shock hazard if some accident occurs is enough to give pause. If they need jaws of life, they have to avoid certain areas to not accidentally hit the battery. As someone whose mother got severely injured in a car accident, it's situations when things are not operating normally that can mean the difference between being unscathed versus morbidity or death.

You know batteries don't go in the pillars and doors right?

 

[Torn Mind]

You know batteries don't go in the pillars and doors right?

Rollovers and other unusual configurations of impact occur. It's does not matter should or should not, just that things happen.

Heck, in a supposed residential street, 4-way intersection with stop signs, and Speed Limit of 25 MPH, I literally saw a car put on its back.

Any tech is going to have a body count(and property count) before it's refined for future generations(and the companies will cover it up). The very reason gassers has a starter instead of sticking with a hand crank was because an important guy died.

If EVs hit the mainstream, the housing codes will almost certainly require smoke dectectors hardwired into garages. The governments aren't pushy right now because they don't want to kill the new business space.

 

[Red Squirrel]

There's also the issue that nobody wants to work on these. You get into a fender bender with an EV and all the shops are scared to touch it because they don't feel qualified to deal with that, even if they aren't doing work on the battery they might need to work close to it. A Rivian fender bender for example can cost 10's of thousands in repairs. These things are not really built with repairability in mind.

There are specialized garages like Electrified Garage that will work on them but it's not like these exists everywhere. Even dealerships don't really want to work on them, they just want to swap the entire battery pack which can cost 10's of thousands too.

Whatever money you save by not needing to buy gas you're going to spend initially, in any repairs if you are unfortunate to ever need them, and also in higher insurance cost. Oh, and tires. Tires wear out faster on EVs and are more expensive.

I really like the idea of EV but it just doesn't add up financially. Going to stick with gas for as long as I can or maybe do an EV swap if ever I build a big shop to work in. Government is forcing auto makers to build more EVs and eventually only EVs by a certain date (2030 I think?) but hopefully Trudeau will be out by then so it's probably not going to happen. I can see auto makers just pull out of the country completely as it won't be worth it for them.

 

[Ackmed]

We've haf two, of the same thing. Mach-E First Edition, then a Mach-E GT. Loved both of them.

We'll get another one day, I like a lot about them. Phone as a key, we drive in a small bubble most of the time so range isn't a huge issue, and they're fast. Still have a Level 2 charger in the garage. I don't care about trying to save trees, and they don't anyway. They're also very expensive, but have a lot of nice perks. Wife and I just both really like our current vehicles and interest rates are too high.

Rivian R1S is what we've talked about, but it's do close to what my wife has already, doesn't make a whole lot of sense. Also done so many upgrades and customizations we'd never get our money back on a trade in.

 

[sdifox]

Rollovers and other unusual configurations of impact occur. It's does not matter should or should not, just that things happen.

Heck, in a supposed residential street, 4-way intersection with stop signs, and Speed Limit of 25 MPH, I literally saw a car put on its back.

Any tech is going to have a body count(and property count) before it's refined for future generations(and the companies will cover it up). The very reason gassers has a starter instead of sticking with a hand crank was because an important guy died.

If EVs hit the mainstream, the housing codes will almost certainly require smoke dectectors hardwired into garages. The governments aren't pushy right now because they don't want to kill the new business space.

EVs are less likely to rollover due to the low center of gravity. EVs do weight more so hopefully the pillars are strengthend accordingly.

The brutality of this EV crash test was shocking, but both cars passed

Counting our blessings after a crash course in vehicle safety.

arstechnica.com

 

[dave_the_nerd]

I'd be perfectly happy with a BEV, but I also don't drive much. Of the ones on the market now or coming soon, I would seriously consider an Aptera, but would probably end up with something more traditional like a Bolt or something.

When it comes to it, I'll buy whatever's cheaper for me. Right now, that's just keeping the ICE car I have, though.

 

[IronWing]

I would seriously consider an Aptera,

I had to look that up. It's cool looking but I'm catching an Elio vibe.

 

[manly]

The Drive - The Chevy Blazer EV Launch Has Gone From Rough to Worse As GM Issues Stop-Sale

Sounds like GM doesn't want VinFast to win the Worst new BEV of the year award.

 

[Ken g6]

The Drive - The Chevy Blazer EV Launch Has Gone From Rough to Worse As GM Issues Stop-Sale

Sounds like GM doesn't want VinFast to win the Worst new BEV of the year award.

It's not just the Blazer, it's the whole Ultium platform.

The Chevy Blazer EV Isn't Alone. GM Owners Say The Ultium Cars Are A Hot Mess

Charging issues, infotainment problems and frustration seem to be common for Cadillac Lyriq, GMC Hummer, and Chevrolet Blazer EV owners.

insideevs.com

That includes the Hummer, the Cadillac Lyriq, the upcoming Silverado, Equinox, and Honda Prologue, and any future Chevy Bolt.

 

[dave_the_nerd]

I had to look that up. It's cool looking but I'm catching an Elio vibe.

Yeah, i'm not running out to reserve one, but if they start delivering 'em in quantity I'd definitely consider buying one.

 

[sdifox]

It's not just the Blazer, it's the whole Ultium platform.

The Chevy Blazer EV Isn't Alone. GM Owners Say The Ultium Cars Are A Hot Mess

Charging issues, infotainment problems and frustration seem to be common for Cadillac Lyriq, GMC Hummer, and Chevrolet Blazer EV owners.

insideevs.com

That includes the Hummer, the Cadillac Lyriq, the upcoming Silverado, Equinox, and Honda Prologue, and any future Chevy Bolt.

Auch. I think Honda pulled out of that partnership.

 

[gorobei]

I had to look that up. It's cool looking but I'm catching an Elio vibe.

the company had a wild ride corporate-wise. this video covers the company/s history, the ceo musical chair, and the 2nd attempt by the original 2 founders.

for the last couple of years the company has been giving a ton of access to the press as well as putting out its own videos with the actual engineers talking. the prototype evolution and lockdown to serial production versions as well as some of the scaling contracts suggest they are actually coming out with a product. the fundraising has hit some bumps and there are questions on exactly how many reservations they have booked, but the fans seem about as hyped as early tesla fanboys.
the modern equipment supply chain for BEV and the battery tech is radically different from the early 2000's world that the original company faced, so like the apple newton vs the iphone it sometimes comes down to timing.

i have a ton of questions about crash testing and repairability for minor damage to the carbonfiber body. but i seriously considered reserving one but dont have a need for a new car for a while and dont drive enough to get the benefit of the solar charging. i might get one after the 1st gen kinks get worked out, or wait for a 4 wheel version that has to face the more demanding regulation of cars vs motorcycles.

 

[jpiniero]

As someone who lives in a condo in the cold... I don't think an EV would be a good idea. Warming the inside with the heat from the engine is rather useful and access to chargers is somewhat of a problem.

A hybrid would be okay I think.

 

[Fenixgoon]

As someone who lives in a condo in the cold... I don't think an EV would be a good idea. Warming the inside with the heat from the engine is rather useful and access to chargers is somewhat of a problem.

A hybrid would be okay I think.

i think it was edmunds(?) did a test with a ford mustang machE and showed that if stuck, an EV vehicle would be able to heat the interior of a cabin for quite some time. that being said, lack of charger access is a problem especially for people with condos or apartments until infrastructure catches up.

 

[Zorba]

The Drive - The Chevy Blazer EV Launch Has Gone From Rough to Worse As GM Issues Stop-Sale

Sounds like GM doesn't want VinFast to win the Worst new BEV of the year award.

But "You don't need android auto, we'll do it better"

 

[ondma]

Not convinced the infrastructure is adequate for full EV. I also live in a very cold climate, so range is a consideration and even more so in cold weather. I definitely would strongly consider a hybrid or PHEV though.

 

[Brainonska511]

How far are people regularly driving that they are worried that they would get stranded due to lack of EV infrastructure? I'm sure many 2+ car households could potentially switch to at least one EV without much of an impact on their day to day driving, and infrastructure is bound to continue improving.

 

[RPD]

How far are people regularly driving that they are worried that they would get stranded due to lack of EV infrastructure? I'm sure many 2+ car households could potentially switch to at least one EV without much of an impact on their day to day driving, and infrastructure is bound to continue improving.

Yes but you forget, everyone is a unique unicorn of driving habits which no EV shall ever be able to manage.

Edit think that 1-800 contacts commercial, MY EYES, except it's MY DRIVING HABITS.

 

[Zorba]

How far are people regularly driving that they are worried that they would get stranded due to lack of EV infrastructure? I'm sure many 2+ car households could potentially switch to at least one EV without much of an impact on their day to day driving, and infrastructure is bound to continue improving.

Last year I did about 16, 250-750 mi each way road trips, that is why I only replace one ICE vehicle with an EV. I wish the Bolt had faster Level 3 charging so I could do the 250 mile trips with it. Not sure why people think every car they own needs to have every capability they'll ever need.

I understand single car households being worried about the range. I'd couldn't make it work with a single car, at least not with the Bolt. But I think I do far more long road trips than the normal household.

 

[Brovane]

Yes but you forget, everyone is a unique unicorn of driving habits which no EV shall ever be able to manage.

Edit think that 1-800 contacts commercial, MY EYES, except it's MY DRIVING HABITS.

Yup, everyone needs to be able to take off at a moments notice and drive 400+ miles without stopping.