U.S. transition to electric vehicles faces delays

Good. Looking for ways to increase prices to collect more taxes. That is all.

quote: In Europe, the elevated price of gasoline adds an incentive that allows consumers there to overlook the lofty upfront cost of the vehicle.

Not in the UK it doesn't. Hyperinflation and rising poverty means people are bagging second hand ICE vehicles for a grand rather than shelling out a fortune for an EV. There is very limited charging infrastructure. Local councils fight tooth and nail to prevent new pylon lines, required to bring the extra electricity in for charging EVs, from spoiling the view. They block solar farms and turbines for the same reasons. They are not rolling out much charging infrastructure as many of them are heading for bankruptcy, and they simply don't have the cash anymore.

When the economy was strong, before Brexit and Covid, EVs could have sold, like iPhones, as status symbols. Now everyone is tightening their purse strings. European import restrictions, high import fees to block low cost Chinese EVs, a lack of labour, negligible domestic EV production and a limited charging network are all causing problems. Unlike the US, many UK properties cannot easily squeeze in the charging kit (or heat pumps).

The US has likely sold initial EVs to enthusiastic 'early adopters' (also known in tech as 'crash test dummies') who are capable of buying high priced, new cars. Beyond that, it gets a lot harder, and those higher price tags will be a real impediment. It will be a long time before low cost second hand EVs hit the market. If governments are serious about a transition, they will have to subsidise it, big time. Not tax credits, but artificially reduced prices.

IF EVs are so good, why does the government have to pay people to buy them?

For people in cold climates, they are useless. Battery life drops in the winter, charging is painful and cold. If you have a short commute (or no commute) and only drive to the supermarket down the street, they are useful. But for serious driving? No.

Maybe people who live far from cities have concerns about range, but here in California more than 25% of the cars sold this year have been EVs, and charging stations seem to be everywhere. Traveling to Frisco, San Diego, or Vegas in an EV is not a problem if one lives in Southern Cal.

With the recent spike in gasoline and diesel prices, I see fewer large cars on the road, and more smaller cars, and many more EVs. About two thirds of the EVs are Teslas, and their charging stations are abundant. Musk may be eccentric, but he got the EV thing right.

We haven't switched to an EV yet, as our old Buick runs great, gets good fuel economy, is very comfortable, and besides, we don't drive all that much any more. If I did have to buy a new car, I would look at the cheaper EVs, like the Bolt or the Leaf, and at the plug in hybrids. A Toyota hybrid with 40 mile battery range would be at least 10k cheaper than any Tesla, and would suit us just fine.

In the last year I have seen three Teslas show up on our block, with our neighbors, and when I drive around town, Teslas seem to be on every block. The rest of the US is probably a few years behind California, but what else is new?

Who knows? Maybe the legacy manufacturers are correct. Maybe they can slow their roll and still survive by timing the market correctly.

OTOH, we are starting to enter the more vertical phase of BEV adoption and I fear that they may be left behind if they don’t have their supply chain sorted and product in the pipeline. Tesla is hardly slowing down. And, will build out Mexico and maybe announce another GF location. They are continuing to ramp Germany and Texas. They will hit 1.8 BEV vehicles this year. Hyundai/Kia is aggressive. And, the Chinese are coming.