EV future has been postponed

[markslawson + 1,042]

A lot of material has come out since I past posted on electric vehicles last year when a host of car dealers wrote to President Biden asking for him to pause a government attempt to mandate such cars, all of it confirming that there is no immediate threat to the oil market from the rise of EVs. In that letter the dealers declared that EVs had their place but more time was needed for consumers to get use to the idea and in the meantime EVs were piling up on their lots. EV apologists at the time tried to brush this aside by claiming that the letter was signed "only" by 20 per cent or so of the total number of registered dealers or whatever (I didn't treat this with the contempt it deserved at the time but now I will say this Bwwwwwhahahahahah!) Anyway, here is video listing the various reasons that the growth of the EV market is slowing markedly.  Here is another pointing to the problem of Ford dealers being unwilling to get into selling EVs in the first place. A major obstacle is the big upfront cost required to build charging stations on the lot and train staff in the cars. This also mentions the rather grim statistic that Ford is losing an estimated $US36,000 on each EV it sells. As the US Congress has now voted to block government efforts through the EPA to mandate EVs, the EV market will have to face the grim fact that consumers still, by and large, prefer gas/petrol cars and car makers are having real problems achieving the volumes that will help them reduce prices.   

[Meredith Poor + 884]

An interesting question arises when a full-blown car costs $50,000 when an eBike costs $1500 (give or take). When I look up electric skateboards I see prices ranging from $400 to $1600. These represent massive reductions in living costs, even if they only cover '90%' of transportation needs. I see high school and college age kids on these things daily. I see elderly people on electric scooters going between their houses and the grocery store all the time, meaning several times a week.

The $50,000 car is basically the kid hauler and the 'off to visit the grandkids in Orlando'. The former needs a car day to day, the latter could just as easily rent a car for a five day trip every few months.

Electric vehicles are a lot easier to scale to 'just right', since they don't have a fuel tank, don't require oil, can recharge on the household plug, etc. Skateboards can be carried onto buses and trolleys. The 'bottom end of the market' is abandoning traditional cars as alternatives become more and more attractive.

[footeab@yahoo.com + 2,135]

Uh news flash: If it is not universal, and afforadable to EVERYONE it will not work as Majority makes a product proffitable, not the minority.   An electric bike/skateboard everyone can afford and you can bop down to grocery store, and every kid needs SOME mobility freedom to go ~2 -->5 miles from home without having to walk quickly so electric bikes or just a normal bike works fine here.  But a thing called RAIN, cold etc and everyone wants a car... but you can only afford 1 car and majority of people can only afford a USED car, not a new car and it must do EVERYTHING for them.  Not rent or lease as that is the way to POVERTY

[TailingsPond + 476]

27 minutes ago, footeab@yahoo.com said:

Uh news flash: If it is not universal, and afforadable to EVERYONE it will not work as Majority makes a product proffitable, not the minority.   An electric bike/skateboard everyone can afford and you can bop down to grocery store, and every kid needs SOME mobility freedom to go ~2 -->5 miles from home without having to walk quickly so electric bikes or just a normal bike works fine here.  But a thing called RAIN, cold etc and everyone wants a car... but you can only afford 1 car and majority of people can only afford a USED car, not a new car and it must do EVERYTHING for them.  Not rent or lease as that is the way to POVERTY

News flash: No product is affordable to everyone.

The truly poor don't even think about buying cars, they are looking for things like food and shelter.  Look around, homelessness and hunger is everywhere, and yes they live outside even when it is cold and rainy.

https://usafacts.org/articles/how-many-homeless-people-are-in-the-us-what-does-the-data-miss/

"The Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) counted around 582,000 Americans experiencing homelessness in 2022."

Edited January 15 by TailingsPond