EV’s are becoming mainstream

[David G]

Re: EV’s are becoming mainstream

Electric vehicles’ share of new vehicle sales almost doubled in the first nine months of the year, to 5.6 percent from 2.9 percent in the same period in 2021. So, still just a bit more than a trickle..

Just so. Growing. But a long way from becoming mainstream.

[dutchpp]

Re: EV’s are becoming mainstream

It's just a matter of time.
Approximately 80% of the newly sold cars in Norway is EV now. Achieved by clever policies ( free charging, no parking fee's etc.)
The top 10 best sold cars (jan-apr 2022);
meest verkochte auto's NOR.jpg

[RichW]

Re: EV’s are becoming mainstream

My neighbor just bought a Lucid Air. Very elegant looking, smooth and quiet. But like many startups, Lucid has made a FEW very impressive cars, but they haven't yet learned how to produce the MANY cars with equal quality. Just a quick look at the new Lucid - panel fit is not on par with other high priced cars - a pretty big gap between rear quarter panels and bumper; there's a few irregularities in the interior; the door handles are flush to the outside of the door and are supposed to pop out when you touch them - they wouldn't pop up so he had to fiddle with the app to get the car to open.

So they've got impressive technology, but they haven't got production skills yet.

[Todd D]

Re: EV’s are becoming mainstream

EVs are pretty far from mainstream here on the Maine coast (Mount Desert Island specifically). I do see a FEW EVs in the summer, but they are 100% out of state, mostly Massachusetts. None of the local car dealers carry EVs. You "might" be able to see one at a dealer in Bangor, but on any given day I would say the chance of them having one for you to look at, not test drive, is under 10%. If they have one it is because an ordered car hasn't been picked up yet.

The charging infrastructure here (Mount Desert Island, ME) is tiny. I think there is/was a single high speed charger on the island with a single charging point. I say is/was because last week when I went past that location (a gas station) it looked like it had closed (no prices posted and no one there). Other than that there are about 20-25 level 2 charging points on the island. Most are located at hotels and are restricted to their customers. Also, since those hotels are now closed for the winter, the charging points there are also likely shut down for the winter. Close to home I am aware of 8 level two charging points. Two are at a hotel that is closed for the winter and they are shut down. Two are in a boat yard and the owner says the only car at them in the winter is his (he owns one of the two EVs on this half of the island. His is a VW and there is one Tesla). Two charging points are in front of the police station in Southwest Harbor, one is at the Tremont town office (open business hours only M-F since ou have to get the office staff to turn it on) and the final one is at a local auto museum that is closed for the season. By the way, the auto museum has about 8-10 electric cars, but none built after about 1915. They also have several steam cars. I pass by most of those charging points frequently and almost never see a car charging in the summer and never see one in the winter.

You may think the lack of EV infrastructure here is surprising considering that we get about 4 million tourist visits a year and they all arrive by car (no public transportation to the island). But there is essentially zero demand for EV infrastructure in the off season because very few of the local people can afford an EV. Most of the people who could afford an EV won't consider on until there is a real 3/4-1 ton pickup with an 8 foot bed available for reasonable money - i.e., lobster fishermen who actually use their trucks to haul stuff and tow heavy trailers every day and need a real truck that can haul 4-6 full 55 gallon drums and other similar loads. Consequently, building a significant EV infrastructure doesn't make economic sense here.

So EVs are not even close to mainstream here.

[Figment]

Re: EV’s are becoming mainstream

Caught a ride in a hyundai Iconiq over the weekend. It took my pet-peeve "stab a tablet into the dashboard" to a whole 'nother level, but otherwise very nice.
Not at all "entry level", but I can see why they're doing well.

[John Smith]

Re: EV’s are becoming mainstream

I doubt they'll be mainstream for quite a while. It's one thing if one has the luxury of charging at home. Another if one does not have that luxury.

[Joe (SoCal)]

Re: EV’s are becoming mainstream

For fun yesterday on my 20 min drive home from Laguna Beach I decided to count just the Tesla's since I can identify them easily. On a pretty lazy Sunday I counted 68 Teslas.

Here in SoCal it feels like every other car is an EV.

[Vernon]

Re: EV’s are becoming mainstream

I doubt they'll be mainstream for quite a while. It's one thing if one has the luxury of charging at home. Another if one does not have that luxury.

This.

My company should be producing frames for the F150 version within a year, it's launching now. If it were $10-15,000 more than standard, I could see myself buying one. I drive very little and generally not far at any one time. I'd be factoring in the cost of a few solar panels to charge it as it'd be parked in my barn enough that I'd have very little use for pay charging stations.

Right now, in rural Ohio, I don't think it'd be practical for everyone, but it'd hit the sweet spot for someone in my situation. The cost numbers I think may work out, even if a little under water, it'd still be cool to pay nothing at all for fuel.

[Paul Pless]

Re: EV’s are becoming mainstream

For fun yesterday on my 20 min drive home from Laguna Beach I decided to count just the Tesla's since I can identify them easily. On a pretty lazy Sunday I counted 68 Teslas.

Here in SoCal it feels like every other car is an EV.

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[LeeG]

Re: EV’s are becoming mainstream

I doubt they'll be mainstream for quite a while. It's one thing if one has the luxury of charging at home. Another if one does not have that luxury.

That isn’t the reason for the time it’ll take. The reason is simply that there are so many vehicles on the road, most vehicle sales are used not new, vehicles are lasting longer and the elephant in the room is that when oil supply slows down so will all auto use as the energy to make evs decline. Which means less auto use in general. The perspective problem is applying the norms of the last 100yrs where increasing oil supply enabled rapid turnover in the next generation of vehicles. When the energy supply slows so does that turnover.

[Too Little Time]

Re: EV’s are becoming mainstream

For fun yesterday on my 20 min drive home from Laguna Beach I decided to count just the Tesla's since I can identify them easily. On a pretty lazy Sunday I counted 68 Teslas.

Here in SoCal it feels like every other car is an EV.

SoCal is different from much of the country.

[David W Pratt]

Re: EV’s are becoming mainstream

Electric vehicles’ share of new vehicle sales almost doubled in the first nine months of the year, to 5.6 percent from 2.9 percent in the same period in 2021. So, still just a bit more than a trickle..

Units, or dollars?

[Joe (SoCal)]

Re: EV’s are becoming mainstream

SoCal is different from much of the country.

Yup

This is my morning routine twice a week, I park my EV at one of the charging locations in my apartment complex in the evening. I use ApplePay on my watch unlocks the charger, I plug in and walk away. The next morning I wake up make coffee unlock the charger 90% and 342 miles of range and $9 later I drive away.


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[Tom Wilkinson]

SoCal is different from much of the country.

I see much the same thing in all my travels. They are everywhere in Georgia. Same with MA and around Tucson. And for most EV driving you don’t need much infrastructure.
I have charged at a public station in months and Cindy never has with her car.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Keith Wilson]

Re: EV’s are becoming mainstream

LA may be different from most of the country, but Dubuque is about as ordinary midwestern as you can get.

The main barrier now is initial cost.