EV sales are still growing, but not as quickly as the administration hoped and more slowly than in many other advanced economies. Inventories have continued to pile up: Despite $2 billion in dealer discounts and generous federal tax credits, stocks of unsold EVs grew by more than 200% in the first quarter. Ford Motor Co., facing heavy losses on EVs, recently said it will shift its efforts from battery-powered models to hybrids and new gas-fueled models.
Drivers in the US are accustomed to much cheaper gasoline than Europeans. They’ve learned to like big vehicles and expect to be able to drive them great distances.
With current technology, this puts EVs at a serious disadvantage.
The Biden administration’s subsidy-first approach falls short. Making EVs cheaper doesn’t make owning and driving a gas-powered vehicle any more expensive, which blunts the policy’s effect.
The conspicuously slow rollout of charging stations has added to the “range anxiety” that preoccupies many potential buyers. Complaints that EVs are less reliable than promised and more expensive to repair and insure have also made them a hard sell.
Biden’s focus on creating “good jobs” at home in EV and battery manufacturing now poses a further risk — that the administration will try to put things right by raising tariffs and tightening restrictions on imports
@ISIDEWITH2wks2W
How would you feel about switching to an electric vehicle if it meant sacrificing long-distance convenience for environmental benefits?
@ISIDEWITH2wks2W
Would you be willing to pay more for an electric vehicle if you knew it was significantly better for the environment, despite potential issues with reliability and repair costs?
I think that it would be better if the future of electric vehicles improved, and by improving I mean that the quality of their batteries would be better and their cost would be the one of an average vehicle and not overpriced. I would totally be willing to pay for an electric car knowing that it helps the environment and is cheap and the battery lasts a lot.
@9LMXBVYIndependent2wks2W
The environment is very important!
@ISIDEWITH2wks2W
Considering the slow adoption of electric vehicles, should individual choice or governmental policy play a bigger role in driving environmental change?
@9LMXS9Q2wks2W
Everyone should fight to care for the environment where you live and work in everyday.
-Less than 8% of new car sales were EVs.
-Dealers don't want EVs because they don't sell.
-Auto makers are losing insane amounts of money on EVs.
-Said auto makers are cancelling factory builds, EV shifts at existing plants, and so on.
@Ind3pendentQuokkaGreen2wks2W
This will not prevent new gas cars from being sold. Auto makers will have to reduce the average emissions across all vehicles they sell in a year. EVs will be necessary to hit the new limits, but gas cars will still be available. There is also an exception for "light trucks" meaning pickups will still be gas, but hopefully hybrids mostly.
@Cruel2011Green2wks2W
This EV mandate, alone, is a reason to vote Biden out of office. For those that want EVs, great, buy one. Same for the Hybrid or ICE. Knock yourself out. And, at the moment, who can afford the interest rate on a new car? Bottom line, plain and simple, we don't need Joe Biden telling us what kind of car to buy - or when to buy it. Period.
Absolutely. I hadn't planned on voting--both candidates are train wrecks--but this has pushed me to Trump. Can you imagine the scene if Biden had announced this at his State Of The Union address?The only reason to vote for Trump is to stop this from happening. My gosh. It's like forcing folks to switch from horses to cars when Stanley Steamers were the best available technology.
The question every voter should ask themselves do you want to elect people who tell you what you can drive while they get chauffeured around in limos and large SUV’s. My answer is no and it’s time to change administrations.
I don’t like the idea of the government trying to decide what kind of car I can buy.
I do believe in the power of market forces which I think are greater than either parties desire to shape it. As you can see the numbers are already causing the current administration to modify their policies, I think this is the beginning of a fundamental change away from the environmental extremism of the current administration, after all the blue states are shrinking, losing capital and people to red states. I’m confident the economic shifts will force their hands.
"The only “choice” Americans will have in the future is electric." This line captures perfectly what progressives mean by choice, the same thing Putin means by free elections in Russia.
@Activi5tGrizzly2wks2W
This will not prevent new gas cars from being sold. Auto makers will have to reduce the average emissions across all vehicles they sell in a year. EVs will be necessary to hit the new limits, but gas cars will still be available. There is also an exception for "light trucks" meaning pickups will still be gas, but hopefully hybrids mostly.
@ISIDEWITH2wks2W
@ISIDEWITH2wks2W
I got an EV for the environment, gas prices, the hassle of having to fill it up, and the tax incentive. The biggest surprise to me about my EV is that it is hands down, by far, the best car I've ever owned. It drives like nothing else. The acceleration of a motor is so much smoother than an engine. Having to drive a gas car after getting used to an EV feels like driving a bicycle it's so slow and jerky
This utterly tone-deaf and blind to people who live in rural areas. We drive long distances. In cold weather and often to off-grid places. Our electric infrastructure is unreliable, but when the cars go so do the gas stations and then where do we get gas for our generators when the power goes out for a week? These are REAL concerns. What if my battery dies while I'm out in EBF? How do I get home again if I don't even have cell service to call for help? Never mind the general poverty rate and lack of public transit in rural areas. We can't afford the cars either. Electr… Read more
We are quickly running out of time to avoid the worst impacts from climate change and cannot afford 4 years of a republican president, senate or congress.
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