Automakers Are Losing Money On Evs - Here Are Some Ways To Fix That
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- Опубликовано: 11 июн 2024
- In the last few months, we've seen a distinct backpedaling from some automakers on EV development and production, not to mention a slew of profit warnings from legacy automakers struggling to make money on EV sales.
Automakers have their own list of reasons as to why the EV marketplace is in the place it is - but we've got some of our own thoughts about why automakers are losing money on EVs - and a fair amount of the blame can be laid at the feet of the automakers themselves.
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00:00 - Introduction
03:36 - A reminder about sales volumes
04:49 - Focusing on the wrong things
05:12 - Development costs
05:57 - Ford's excuses
06:35 - The cautionary tale of Honda and Toyota
08:13 - Why automakers are spinning off EV arms
09:08 - It's the same for all new technology
10:29 - Some automakers don't care..
11:05 - Expectations of EVs - influenced by advertising
12:43 - Creep in size negates improvements in battery tech
14:19 - Constantly chasing the next big thing - instead of waiting for tech to pay off
15:39 - The LEAF is an example of how to benefit from long-timeframes of development
17:21 - Keeping vehicles repairable and supported is ESSENTIAL
18:01 - Develop one platform for maximum versatility
19:15 - K.I.S.S.
20:12 - Stop making luxury cars and start making affordable ones!
21:52 - Some automakers might be hearing us at last?
22:31 - Thanks, and Goodbye!
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Watch Kate's video on Plug-in Hybrids and why they're not the answer to some of the auto-industry's EV concerns: • Is This The End For El...
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Presenter, Script, Audio: Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield
Camera, Editor, Colorist: M. Horton
Art and Animation: Erin Carlie
Producer: Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield
© Transport Evolved LLC, 2024
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Your channel is the only one I watch multiple times a week. Please don't go anywhere. The information you provide is very valuable!
As someone who works for an ev automaker that makes electric trucks, it is scary in this industry. It seems like layoffs are always around the corner.
Always the danger when working in what is a new industry. Leapfrogging happening all the time, makes it take major money to even just stay relevant. Many of us out here is rooting for these startups, personally enough to invest in some of these startups.
No surprise that news media is, again, looking for the controversial headline to push viewership numbers. If readers are lucky, or watch this channel, the story will go on to mention their headline is purely clickbait. Thanks to the TE staff for your hard work and ethics.
Stick around! We need you. ❤🎉😊
Great report Nikki and Team!
One additional point, Legacy OEMs need to reduce the number of models, why 6 or 8 versions of the same car ? Cut costs w/low hanging fruits first.
Bolts
Young people shouldn't even be LOOKING at new cars. Buy used! You will save a ton of money on price, taxes, insurance and depreciation.
As a bonus: the GSM 2 modem is no longer able to let the car spy on you!
No hate here! EV's great, more more...
Good work. Thanks!
4 year EV owner, still love it.
We wet EV and Solar and save $15K every year in Fuel and power cost and will never go back to ICE. Have you worked out the savings. Note we Purchased two second hand EV in my country as it is hard to get new and we drive about 120km in both EV a day as we live on a farm and drive to work in town.
One of your best videos, and there are many to judge against. The problem with technology is explaining the interaction of the tech, manufacturing, economics and marketing related to the final product.
Rich Rebuilt talked more how they appraised one accident how fast the insurance company totalled the EV
With high rents and housing costs, the average American needs a basic, affordable EVs.
They need gas cars. Most people don't have all the extra time, space and money required for a completely redundant extra vehicle with limitations. That's an expensive hobby.
Wrong again!Americans dont need or want a simple cheap car!If that would be true,you would see basic Nissan Versa for 18k everywhere!
@@brunoheggli2888 Below the median income (half the population), most people buy used cars. The new car market is not "the average American" even at Nissan Versa or Mitsubishi Mirage level. It's the more affluent Americans. A few lower income people buy a new car, and they'll buy a Mirage or similar vehicle, but most lower income people prefer a used pickup or SUV. We don't see Versas everywhere because only the wealthiest of the least wealthy buy them new, and most of these people prefer a used car. The least wealthy of the least wealthy will buy a used Versa.
They need a decent transit system and electric bikes that don't get stolen.
@@michaeloreilly657 Average age in US is 39, not 19!
I think the EV industry is still in the very early stages of development and major manufacturing companies won’t see EV’s in their full potential for quite a few years. Anything like the EV effort is a huge undertaking with far more technology to come. Solid state fast charging, high range batteries will be a major shift when that happens. Great perspective all around. This channel is one of the best concerning EV’s. Thank you
All of this, or at least most, was foreseeable. And no doubt this is why auto executives dragged their feet for so very long.
The inability of the political system to push harder, sooner, and with the necessary resources, has cost more than two decades. Now, we face a time crunch that will put the human species' long term viability to the test.
Here's hoping we make it.
Everyone is right and everyone is wrong. I like luxury EVs and they are the most profitable for manufacturers to sell. Where basic EVs are concerned, potential customers look at them and buy ICE for the better bang for the buck. I looked at the Mach e, Hyundai and KIA and found that the better equipped models were no longer for an entry level price, so I went luxury. Not everyone has that option.
I was disappointed that there were no more BMW carbonfiber cars however they still make evs.
Thanks for this episode. A few comments. In 2011 I had the privilege to lead a group of UK auto suppliers to meet with the design departments of the US big 3 automakers in Indiana and Michigan to see what these suppliers could do for their efforts to go EV. GM and Chrysler were basically doing nothing re EVs and had no interest. Ford was more interested but said "not now' because they were sure they could pull another 3-5% efficiency out of their ICE vehicles over the next decade in weight and efficiency through materials and aero gains, which would of course just meet the EPA fuel efficiency standards. They didn't see Tesla coming. I think their complacency had to do with several things, their stranglehold on political power and policy making, their doubt that Tesla could be successful, and their support from Oil&Gas. Tesla's success scared them into action, and for the first time in decades they had to actually design most of the car (EVs), because they couldn't depend upon their suppliers for all the R&D, which was how it had worked for a long time. This is also what is driving costs up for them today. Tesla didn't create a huge component manufacturing group because they were vertically integrated pretty much out of necessity. So the big 3 couldn't depend on their suppliers. Couple that with Tesla's direct sales and they have been playing catch up ever since. Thought this info might help.
Thank you for this video. I think you are spot on what we need is a great Electric grocery getter local driving around town which is so area that EV can strive.
Great job yet again. Love you all. Keep up the great work!
As a Millennial I bought that 25K USA equivalent car but it's Chinese and so not allowed in the USA. I think the European automakers have finally got the message and started making smaller more affordable EVs, Renault 5, VW ID2, Citroen E-C3, Dacia.
Absolutely, my sub £25k Chinese EV does a realistic 140-150 miles on a run and I only do a long trip once or twice a year. I would go for a 2nd hand Kia if getting one now.
There is quite a number of smaller BEVs available in Europe: VW e-Up, Opel Corsa-e, Peugeot e-208, BMW i3, Renault Zoe, Fiat 500e, Dacia Spring, Mini Cooper SE. To name just a few. Renault 5 and Citroen e-C3 are still some time away, VW id.2 probably more like 2 years away.
I think it's great that Europe offers smaller evs. The reasons for that are at least three-fold:
One, older, much tighter city streets and similarly tight geographic distances mean that smaller vehicles have always been the more practical, even totally necessary, option for Europeans, whereas the relative wide open spaces of North America promote the opposite sentiment in consumers. EVs in particular, so far need to be somewhat larger dimensions to accommodate battery packs capable of spanning those greater North American distances.
Two, much more expensive petroleum fuel in Europe has contributed psychologically to Europeans seeing the economic practicality of smaller vehicles, long before evs were a widespread option. Therefore car companies are assured that smaller vehicles already have a receptive market in the EU.
Three, the lamentable U.S. politics of vehicle efficiency standards policy (lobbied massively by manufacturers) has created equally massive incentives for those same manufacturers to shift their product lines to more massive, literally heavier, much more profitable, "light" trucks and even to replace efficient small hatchbacks and wagons with heavier, less aerodynamic crossover models. Consequentlly, manufacturers have spent the past 40+ years tirelessly campaigning in their advertising to convince consumers to think that we want bigger vehicles, especially trucks. They have never let up the push to convince us the falsehood that trucks are safer(they're not,) more useful(they are not, not for the average person's lifestyle purposes,) sportier(Ha!,) and "best" of all "cooler" than smaller cars. Those ad campaigns have been wildly successful. Consequently, in 40 years' time, the U.S. saw the top selling model go from being the little Ford Escort to now the Ford F-150, and even at that, the F-150 is much bigger and heavier than it was back then in the 1980's. (Sigh)
I just remembered a fourth reason small evs are psychologically an easier choice for European consumers: Europe has far superior long-distance rail transit infrastructure for travelers, giving confidence to those travelers that they have reliable options for travel throughout the EU without having to count on a car with long range capacity to get where they are trying to go. This gives Europeans peace of mind that buying a small, modest-range EV is indeed a sensible option that will not leave them stranded.
In the U.S.??? Not so much. Thanks to massive lobbying by both our petreleum and automotive industries, the once competitive rail systems we had have been thoroughly neglected in favor of building the world's most massive interstate highway system AND massive network of airline routes.
The U.S. "could" begin to change all of this infrastructure, but there are powerful capitalist/corporate forces that profit from the status quo and will fight hard to maintain their own selfish advantage.
😮💨
Batteries were expensive in 2012, so that maybe why, as some of the models are quite old as well as starting by making a small car and expanding from there. E.g. the BMW i3 launched in 2013 with a small battery pack which was later expanded to 33 kWh and later 46.5 kWh.
@@Loanshark753 And the i3 was discontinued in Australia just as the EV market started to lift. As all the current electric BMWs are pretty big by comparison, one has to wonder about the thinking that led to that.
The tech is changing so rapidly that it contributes to massive depreciation. So, EVs are quickly getting better but more and more people feel that it is better to let others be the ones that get cut by the "bleeding edge" of the new tech, and sales drop.
It is not so much that we don't want EVs but that we are risk averse when it comes to a large investment.
Solution?
Simple, start at the bottom of the price range. Make inexpensive and reliable entry level models. That is what allowed Toyota and Honda to break into and dominate the auto market 50 years ago.
The BYD Seagull and similar European entries have it right. At a low $10k cost for a reliable and practical 2nd vehicle a lot of people might consider it a reasonable way to get into EVs, because even if the insurance premiums are high they will be vasltly lower than a $50k car's, and if it gets totalled in a minor accident because it lost half of its value in a year... the amount lost from a $10k EV is so low that it might be worth the risk and possibly compensated in fuel savings.
So, instead of fighting low-cost EVs, western manufacturers need to join the party. And maybe get congress to pass some personal data privacy laws like the EU's GDPR to prevent the stealing and selling of our private data.
Otherwise it is obvious what BYD will do... they will setup a Seagull plant in Mexico and capture the market due to lack of competition, if necessary under a Franchise agreement to avoid anti-Chinese tariffs. And something equivalent in Eastern Europe for access to the EU market. The major manufacturers need to wake up or they will be displaced.
In the meantime we are being economically forced to stick to ICEs even as we would prefer EVs if what we want was available. Myself... I ended up buying a new home with a type 2 charger, to be ready for when I could buy the right car, but... I just bought a low cost, high fuel efficiency and reliable compact ICE that I will keep for 10-20 years.
BTW, thanks for all of your videos. I very much look forward to the day you'll cover a $10k (with A/C) EV available for purchase in the US. Even better if it gets shipped directly to the consumer, bypassing the nightmare that are US auto dealers.
No Chinese. Never. Not with their history. Those chinese evs are mobile surveillance and hacking units, paid for by the chinese government. They can be remotely shut off, or worse, remotely detonated, when the war finally comes. Hell no.
The efficient, compact vehicle market isn't necessarily the lowest cost market, as Tesla's success indicates, but I largely agree with you. We'll likely never see a $10k Seagull in the U.S. even if the U.S. lifts its chicken taxes, but EV prices are falling. They may never reach the sub-20k level at retail, but they're more and more affordable, and some used EVs are a bargain now.
One reminder, yugo.
The cheap part is easier than the reliable part.
I do not follow Chinese cars closely but seems they have a lot of builders not making a profit yet.
If the corporate sponsor or other investors bail out who gets hurt when there are no parts (again - Yugo )
EVs also don’t have the repair infrastructure in place for most people to be able to ‘afford’ an EV.
The guys that support repair of old affordable ICE cars are not up to speed on EV tech.
If the EV supporters/enthusiasts push things too fast it will all collapse and kill off any hope of affordable EVs for maybe decades even with the government mandates . Think Cuba
And will unions let cost of building a car fall enough to allow for a $10,000 car. Last new car I bought was around $15,000. They sell nothing like that anymore- some of that is ‘greedy’ corporate villains, but not all of it.
A Nissan Versa ICE, manual transmission is still $15k, and it is a very decent, fuel efficient and reliable.
the fact that nissan has does absolutely nothing for the leaf in 20 years is the reason nissan might be the first of the old timers to disappear.
I recently bought an original 2011 Leaf. It is not due for it's first coolant change yet. (200,000km or 15 years, whichever comes first).
On the other hand they stopped selling:
Nav system maps (5 years after last production puts it at around 2020)
passenger seat cushion assemblies (the airbag presence sensor can fail)
Service manuals (was able to find the PDF versions online).
Good vid👍
Love our Bolt. Was hoping to get another EV and be an all EV family. Wanted a midsize EV truck, sadly had to go with an ICE. Maybe in 5 years when we go to trade.
Cheers
It may take GM awhile to go all EV and be profitable with them, but I think that they have the right approach and as time goes by they will be one of the EV leaders at the very least. Their EV pickup trucks are coming. Midsize EV trucks eventually.
I would like a compact,reasonably priced (under $30k) single cab EV truck with an 8-foot bed. Will that happen in geological time?
Rivian is working on the kind of truck you want; their upcoming R2 and R3 models will be smaller. But they're not ready yet, and first the company has to raise enough money to survive for the next couple of years.
Ford and looks like GM are really missing the point with their Fleet only sales on the practical base line EV trucks. Very few people want a 100k truck to work out of day to day. I have an '18 Bolt for within range day trips, and a used SUV for road trips (and I was considering a R1S until they upped the price and forced the extra seats). I was waiting for charging infrastructure to catch up, and it is slowly in the remote places I go, but I realized I it was going to be a very long time of waiting and not doing the things I love to do. I do think that if Toyota can really make solid state a reality, it will change things. As for Tesla, "saving the planet" has always been a full out lie, and the POS cybertruck proves it. I do think that a company that publicly offers a batter upgrade path from day one when new tech comes out is what is needed, right now I treat EVs the same as laptops they are very limited lifespan as new tech is always coming. But with a computer you can upgrade it and keep it going for a much longer time than a laptop, so we need to see upgrade paths on key parts to make those huge investments make more sense.
With the soldered in RAM, chips and SSDs seen in most laptops, they've been made effectively disposable items too. The best thing you can do for the environment is run what you have until it's fully worn out, but that's not how we're indoctrinated into being good capitalists.
A vehicle is not equivalent to a computer. I think that is a poor analogy. No one expects an ICE vehicle to be upgradeable, so putting that on us on an EV is both illogical and "unfair". What is needed is "right to repair" and parts availability, both things that are, and always has been, lacking with EVs.
@@GlueFactoryBJJ There's a massive industry concerned with upgrading cars. People do expect their vehicle to be upgradeable - adding a tow hitch, a reversing camera and sensors, adjusting ECU software to increase engine power, driveability or fuel efficiency, adjusting the shift points on the gearbox, changing upholstery, vinyl wraps and paint jobs, upgrading lights, adjusting suspension geometry, shocks, swaybars and spring rates are just some of the many upgrades cars are expected to handle. Car manufacturers still don't make it easy because they want everything that owner does to the car be paid for by the owner at dealership prices.
A recent article examined Canadian vehicle choices and found that 80% of them were either trucks, SUVs or cross-overs, with tendencies toward even larger and heavier models. Weight is not exclusively an EV problem. In the rush to personal security, heavier vehicles are more dangerous for pedestrians, cyclists and compact owners. Obviously, they pollute more as well. Both electric and internal combustion vehicles are prone to the same marketing strategies which are based on convincing folks to pay more for bigger and bigger vehicles. Of course trucks get a pollution pass since they are supposedly work vehicles. The North American market may be the worst of the lot for its oversizing practices, which are not just an EV problem.
Transport Evolved does a lot of great things. I think debunking dumb EV myths is something they are especially great at.
I don't now if you watch the RUclips channel of Rich Rebuilds but what he showed a problem with the insurance company make harder on the person buying the EV. Yes I thinking you find out what Rich point out would help if the insurance could change and poeple buying the EV
There are insurance companies , they compete for customers. They know how to assess Risks . If the type of car has high risk they charge an appropriate policy premium . Go ahead, try to talk all the companies down to lower the policy price.
I was surprised that my auto insurance actually went down when I switched from an ICE to an EV. I'm thinking that lots of factors, aside from just EV-related, go into an individual's policy price, and yeah, shopping around is a good idea.
Excellent video! Please keep up the great work.
Your channel isn't an exception when it comes to people posting long-debunked EV FUD. It's everywhere and frustrating and like listening to moon landing deniers or flat earthers or young earth creationists. No matter how many times their arguments are totally and thoroughly and repeatedly debunked they keep making them as if they're the first one to ever think of it and like we're the ones who are all stupid. 🙄
The reason why everybody has a flat panel TV is because as production ramped up prices came down, which spurred MORE DEMAND.
There are only so many people in the market for 2 to 3 thousand dollar TV. To sell more units prices had to came down to create MORE DEMAND.
Vehicles are just the same. There are only so many people in the 40+ Thousand dollar vehicle market. Which is why the Chevy Bolt was so popular.
Most people buy used cars.
@@Nun195 Because of the price. So, cheap and cheerful is good enough
@@Nun195… and someone has to buy new ones, to create used ones for people who need them
Keep going guys!! I just can’t understand those people that are so nasty, watch your channel and comment when they are completely against it… surely do/watch something else… 🤷♂️
I am looking into buying a lightning. My main reason is because with all the incentives the negative equity I have in my suv would be eaten up
Another excellent video, keep up the good work
Ah yes the carmaker marketing paradox. Just as they created the demand for SUVs out of thin air back in the 80s, they could likewise create demand for EVs. The car companies are totally controlled by their marketing departments when it comes to new models and direction, but they still have CEOs who can lay down the law. If any US car compnay had a CEO who truly understood what is going on re the climate, they would have ordered their marketing departments to "make EVs popular" a long time ago. It once appeared that Musk fit this description, but we now know that was all BS.
Another aspect of vehicle cost is so many additional parts. Tesla has a famously sparse interior, but it also has a very simple exterior as well. No fancy light bars and lit emblems, no added lights on the trunk, no additional parts for fake grilles, air intakes, etc. that's a ton of investment savings from a simpler design. Add in that you're keeping that fascia for many more years than a legacy automaker does because they do do "model year" updates like clockwork, which often changes those added parts and adds more tool cost/assembly complexity.
Wrong!
@@brunoheggli2888very insightful. Please elaborate.
@@10lawngnomes37 🤣😂🤣
This is what makes the Tesla Model 3/Y the people's car. It is the Volkswagen of our generation.
You can add fake dual exhausts to that list. I don't know if they're going for irony or the just plain stupid market.
Hyundai looks to have a good strategy. They are leveraging what they know how to do: build dependable practical chassis, suspension and interiors, and adding the new EV stuff on top of that. Too many manufacturers seem to think they have to out-Tesla Tesla to compete... or think they can just reuse ICE platforms tp build EVs. The first adds unneccesary redevelopment costs, and the second is a false economy because there is still a ton of development cost to make what is essentially a compromise vehicle... and the efficiency stats and price tags prove it. If Hyundai can use this strategy to bring a real economy EV to market they should do really well.
Keep Evolving Nikki!!! You are the best!
2024 will be the first year oil demand will not increase since oil was being used as fuel.
That is why the industrialist are panicking , the fall in demand of oil is happening too quickly.
That's why oil is down right now
The environmentalist in me says demand isn't falling nearly fast enough.
100% agree on less tech. My env200's touchscreen has lost response on two thirds of it, and things like music playlists shuffle only have access via the touch screen.
My next EV will be an older ICE conversion so I can get the best part of an EV (electric drive train and zero CO2 at the tailpipe) and keep the more robust analogue systems.
Great video, smart and enlightening 🤗
EVs are a bit like politics. There are big decisions to be made and we don't know what is going to happen. All kidding aside, thanks for putting some of it into perspective as always Nikki.
Its such a complex topic. Alot of things need to come together to make mass adoption possible and affordable.
Namely billions in tax payer money and severe restrictions put on any other option. That's how they did it in Norway.
Doing a great job..........Thank you
Excellent video. The constant flood of stories on RUclips, etc. trashing EVs is not helping and in fact has been very effective in putting off people from acquiring an EV.. I am going to guess a lot of this is quietly being funded by the fossil fuel industry. They wield enormous power in the USA and do not want to lose it.
Personally I have owned an Ioniq 5 for two years and will never go back to an ICE car. I recently drove my wifes low mileage 2022 Subaru Outback and felt it was something dragged out of an auto museum. On several occasions I had to accelerate, but the car did nothing for about a second or more. That alone I will never own an ICE car.
As to the tech is evolving, not sure I understand that one. My Ioniq 5 is quiet, smooth riding, well built, room for five adults, terrific acceleration when needed and the instrumentation is clear and right at eye level where it should be. Sure I would like 400 miles of range, but for my use I am fine with 300 miles. There were a few minor annoyances that me and many Ioniq 5 owners did not like, all have been addressed in the 2025 model to be built in Georgia. As to reliably, I have had zero problems with the car.
Much is made justifiably about apartment owners and where they can charge, and that is a good point. However, 70% of American families live in a home and probably can have a L2 charger installed in their garage.
It would be nice to emphasize to the public, not just that an EV will help the country to switch to a green energy future, but how nice it is to have almost no maintenance needed, the roomy interior, the silent ride, the responsive acceleration, and a battery that will probably last 100 to 200 thousand miles and will never have to visit a gas station again.. Just for the record, the typical ICE car reaches the end of its life in a junkyard at about 150,000 miles.
I believe it's time for a movement to nationalize the oil companies.
This would bring its own problems, but the problems it would solve are truly existential.
I get what you are saying, but I have to say that the problem is more the reverse. Influencers, investors and fans of the EV movement have hyped EVs for years to the point where its become nothing more than gaslighting. People know that their properly maintained ICE vehicle will last pretty much forever and will be almost completely recycled. Junkyards are one part of that recycle stream. They provide serviceable parts that can be reused in other cars. So when a first timer goes to buy an EV the first thing they find out is that there are downsides and inconveniences to EV ownership. EVs work for some but not everyone
Nationalize giant global corporations that incidentally own Congress. Tail wagging the dog?
@@davidmenasco5743 Norway did that from day one.. they have a wealth fund of about 1.4 trillion dollars used for the people of Norway.
@@jasjordan1 The question is not, will a gas car be just fine for those who own it. Sure it will. The question is, will keeping gas cars on the road cost your great grandkids more money than they can afford to pay?
The answer to that is yes.
So ultimately, it's a question of whether or not you can or will give two hoots about the welfare of your great grandkids. Or is it all about "us," here and now?
If you give two hoots, then now is the time to start thinking about how you can stop burning gasoline.
Maybe it will take time to reach that goal, but that should be the goal. And, time is of the essence.
The most intelligent discussion of this "issue" that I have ever heard.
Great advice for legacy auto... unfortunately they are clueless.
Loved my Volvo 240. I once had a dream that the mechanic said “if you don’t fix this now your car might only run for 300,000 more miles”.
When there are EVs that are proven to last for 15 or more years with minor maintenance I would be much more likely to consider one.
On year 12 with my current car and think I will get to over 15 years.
With most cars if you deal with problems as they arise and before they escalate, getting 10+ years out of them is no problem. My car is 13 years old and in the 10+ years I've owned it, it's had a clutch, a water pump, a window regulator, an exhaust sensor, 3 ABS sensors (All different wheels), an aircon compressor the drop links for the swaybar, one headlight bulb, the GPS antenna, a rear hub and rear bump stops as well as the usual wear parts. It costs a lot more to insure it every year than it does to keep it running well mechanically anyway. Also, not one of those issues left me stranded either. And this is a high spec car from the famously unreliable VW group.
My 2011 Leaf is now 13 years old.
As far as I can tell: the previous owner did not do much maintenance.
The original battery WAS replaced in 2021 at a cost of $6000.
The customer declined to replace the cabin air filter at 140,000km. It was black at 175,000km. I did a double-take to make sure it was not a carbon filter (suspect it was the original from the factory).
One thing I have not been able to fix yet is a faulty passenger airbag presence sensor. Requires replacing the entire cushion assembly, and the $3000 part is not available any more.
Also the Nav system is getting less and less useful. I am hoping to reverse engineer it and use Open Street Map data instead. Would be nice to have a nav system that does not spy on me. (GSM 2 radio has been disabled "out of an abundance of caution").
Edit:
My "improvised" tire repair kit is not as compact as the OEM one. I made 2 smaller bungie cords out of 2 damaged ones (one overstretched, one broken with some stretch left). I was then able to fine-tune the size to hold the can of tire goop and air compressor in place.
Great episode. Same arguments in Aust.
Tesla's most popular models (by far), the Model 3 and Model Y, are aerodynamic, compact cars with relatively small batteries. The Bolt EV and EUV are similar and might have been much more successful without the battery fire debacle.
I drive a 2020 Bolt EV that I picked up for half its retail price with only 8k miles in 2023, and I still love it. The range is more than adequate, and even with 50 kW charging, the charging time on long road trips is acceptable. I charge at home 95+% of the time anyway, so I spend a lot less time fueling even with half hour stops on long road trips, and I spend a lot less on the energy.
The demand for this type of vehicle is far from exhausted while the F150L, Cybertruck and large SUVs often disappoint consumers because they suck at towing and similar uses, and they're slow to fully charge. I couldn't fully charge one overnight with my 40 kW home charger, and charging on the road is also slow if the public charger only supports 50kW (still often the case for CCS).
So instead of trying to sell everyone an EV, including all of the pickup and large SUV drivers in the U.S., legacy auto should focus on the market for which EVs are well suited at this point. They'll have plenty of time to sell larger vehicles when the battery tech and charging infrastructure supports them.
The Model 3 and Y are big cars by the standards of the world outside the US. Why so much space has to be occupied to transport what in most cases is only one person is the crux of the reason cars, regardless of energy source, will not solve any real environmental problems. The normalization of massive amounts of public space being allocated for people to store their cars everywhere they go, to the point most people don't even question that arrangement is another absolute head scratcher.
They should have done 7 seaters before pickups
@@rp9674 Most of the pickup market seems to be assholes cosplaying at being working class, which leaves the people that have actual use for them unable to get suitable trucks either.
@@peglorfunny!
With legacy automakers balking at scaling up production, no wonder they don't reap the benefits of economies of scale. It is impossible to produce affordable EVs at a profit when treating them as low-volume products. Poor planning, poor implementation. Complaining while trying to play both sides is inefficient - the ICE side has no future, but they are STILL, in 2024, pushing full-speed ahead on that front.
What a breath of fresh air, common sense only seems available to "normal & rational" human beings.
Thank You...
Low tech, easy & cheap to maintain is the key... Have you noticed most new gen ICE engines have high failure rates & inflated prices to support the EV race?
Mind you, I am convinced we are about to see car batteries in land fill very soon...especially here in Australia...I am keeping all of my dinosaur powered cars...just regular Des love. All 5 cars have between 160k to 350K kilometres...same engines & drive trains and easy to maintain & going strong...
I live in Chicago and it's literally hardly any charging stations for the population. When I go to my girlfriend house in the suburbs, there are tons of them, all unused. The real killer is that she lives near a major road.
I sort of feel sorry for legacy auto for how hard the transition to EVs will be. Companies develop a culture that is difficult to change. The culture for producing ICE and EVs vehicles is very different. EVs require a software focus. The manufacturing focus is towards automation and cost reduction. The ICE culture is very different. It is extremely difficult if not impossible to have 2 cultures in a company. Ford took the step of completely breaking out EVs at least financially but that is just a small step in creating a new EV culture.
By the way, in the USA most people think about 2 things: money saving and convenience.
That is why lots of folks avoid EVs not being able to see convenience of charging at home vs filling the gas tank in minutes which is more important for them then slight saving by charging EV at home.
Besides most car owners in the USA use pre-owned cars which in order to be affordable HAVE to be ICE based, unfortunately.
Perhaps with better charging infrastructure, previous generation EVs coming on pre-owned market the idea of owning an EV would get normalized as a car which happens to be electric.
Keep up the good work yall!!! I’m a mostly conservative middle aged guy but guess what I love earth and I have a full EV and plug in and I try to get everyone to switch. I think all the issues boil down to mainstream automakers and their pressuring on politicians and the politicians corrupting love of money. I don’t agree with forcing by legislation, EVS will win on a somewhat even playing field. THEY ARE BETTER PERIOD. I was shocked how “green” politicians have backtracked on the push to ev also. Quit flopping around like fishes lol
I disagree, in that they (the Politicians ) are listening to the 90%of us who don't want to be legislated into one.
I have to be honest. I have had three EV’s. I recently purchased a used Ford fusion hybrid. And while I think EV‘s are good for the short distances, the hybrid is far more superior. Recently, I drove my Genesis EV for a couple of hours, and while I got better range than expected, I drove my hybrid, the same distance and still had a full tank of gas. I work for a hospital network in which I have to travel around and at times I have to charge my EV‘s times a day. My hybrid, however at the driving for 4 1/2 hours it only used one and a half gallons of gasoline. The range meter on the hybrid showed that I still had 520 miles of range after driving 4 1/2 hours. The hybrid is far superior. Especially at long distances. I would highly recommend EV’s for a short distance trips and short distance trips only. But for every day life, a hybrid is much better.
Thanks
The automaker that makes the 25K EV, will corner the market in USA. As a result of our administration taxing the mess out of Chinese EV’s. But, great information and I totally agree with your views.
I don't think so. There have been sub 25k USD EVs in the past in the US, like the Mitsubishi i-Miev (starting price below 24k USD in 2016). Still, it was no success in the US.
So, it does not depend on price alone. The majority of US customers have a certain view, where "a proper passenger car" begins in terms of size, capacity, range, charging. Only when it meets these expecations, and provides proper quality, sales and service, it will be a market success if below 25k USD. In addition, 25k is an unclear point whether meant before or after incentives and rebates. And whether it necessitates any costly digital services after purchase.
Cant be done and even if it could be, no demand.
Chevy already did it with the Bolt.
Few US carmakers provide 25k ice cars. They prefer more profitable models.
Most humans will choose familiar and comforting lies that affirm their beliefs over truths that challenges their beliefs.
Which is a roundabout way of saying "Most humans are stupid." as the described behaviour is a pretty decent definition of stupidity.
Half consulting, way less RUclips, but better RUclips content highly appreciated.
Another good video!
So, here's the issue. We now know it was the Daily Mail, which falsely reported that EV's cause potholes. (By the way, my Ford Mach-e weighs 1500 lbs. less than my prior Chevy Avalanche.) However, the oil company mantra has been gaining traction. First, my 81-year-old mother, who drives about 4,000 miles per year, needed a new car recently. I attempted to convince here that she should gett a new EV like the Kia Niro or EV6. She retorted that she might run out of power and wouldn't know how to charge on the road and that the tech is "too new" for her. Nevermind that she bought a Kia Sportage, which has the exact same infotainment screen.
As for size, we normal people at 6'4" don't want to drive a subcompact like the Model 3 or Nissan Leaf. I would love a Model S.
Model 3 a subcompact? I'm 6'2" & there is plenty of room in there. A taller person might squeeze another taller person in the back seat, but you'd need to be considerably taller than me to not fit. A Model Y is not much more & is higher off the ground if low seating is the issue.
@@jpg0927 I rented a M3 for two weeks while my Mach-e got some body work done after getting sideswiped. I had the seat all the way back and had decent legroom for me, but there would be no one able to sit behind me. I also had to squeeze my head down to get in and out of the car. It drove nice, but is just too small.
Oh , don’t do like GM and ditch CarPlay.
You have stated well what to most of us is so very obvious. Hopefully, some corporations can tune-in their hearing to this day-to-day reality.
The fact that Ford had a surge in sales after dropping prices prove that the cost of entry is the largest barrier. I think were at a point where all of the people that can afford these expensive ass cars already have them. Which can cause a slump in sales.
A problem that we face here in the US is that we may never see some of the affordable EVs that companies elsewhere in the world make. For example, Kia has not announced plans to bring their EV3 and EV2 here. The smallest EV that Volkswagen sends us is the ID.4; we can't buy the ID.3 or the upcoming ID.2all. And we're not going to see any of the affordable EVs from China because the government is proposing a 100% tariff on EVs from that country. We don't get cars like the Renault Zoe at all, and the European EVs that are about to arrive fail the affordability test. (Over $30K for the Fiat 500e, with a range of only 150 miles? No thanks. In the US we really need 200 miles of range, minimum; we routinely make weekend trips that long.)
Currently the Bolt is gone, and the least expensive EV here is the new Chevy Equinox. Or at least it would be if they were actually building the $35K base model; right now only fancier trims are being produced. (The Equinox is eligible for the full $7,500 EV tax credit.) Eventually we will see the next generation of the Bolt EUV (there probably won't be a sedan version) which will sell for under $30K -- again, if the base model actually gets made.
Tesla? There has long been talk of them producing an affordable EV that would be in the $25-30K range, and presumably eligible for the EV tax credit. But recently they seem to have walked away from making such a car, with only vague mutterings about some kind of car that is more affordable than their current models.
I agree with your comments
You're so right about unwanted tec .
We need to quickly get to a point where manufactures can crank out EVs in highly automated factories and recycle those EVs rapidly. Basically, the consumer will drive it until the first major issue (accident or malfunction) and the car will go straight back into the supply chain and a new EV replaces it. All the user settings instantly transfer to the new car. No warrantees, no repair shops just consistent transportation.
That makes little sense to the US car market. Most Americans want to own their car, not swap in and out of a generic car. Most Americans want a car that is at least somewhat individualized to their personality.
Your well reasoned discussion is appreciated. My opinion is that generally people in the luxury car market are conservative and that the members of that class that are liberal and care about the planet are a small minority. That wealthy liberal market is saturated prettty much for electric cars. Definitely EV manufacturers need to focus their efforts on a less afflluent demographic. I also think the focus on long range is a mistake made because of previous experience with ICE cars that have to be topped up periodically, the less frequently the better. Smaller, lighter cars and batteries are fine with daily plug ins, and if fast, reliable, 10 minute charging anywhere were available there would be no issues.
Automakers, or rather legacy automakers are losing money on EVs because they are trapped in a legacy design, manufacturing and marketing system. Aerodynamics and weight are two of the most important factors contributing to efficiency, yet Ford designs their battery electric pickup truck modeled after a brick. Then they ship them to dealers who add thousands of dollars to the EVs MSRP when they are briefly in demand. They guarantee a horrible buying experience, yet cry the blues when business slows. Times change, and legacy auto manufacturers desperately cling to a failing, bygone era.
This is an example of how slow and painful change can be. Ford will likely do well in the long term.
Shouldn't companies that make bad decisions be allowed to fail? This bailout culture is driving me nuts. Objectively, it's not sustainable. It's better if the reset happens sooner rather than later.
@@jpg0927 Companies fail all of the time. No one is going to bail out Lucid or Rivian. Not Fisker or any of the other startups.
the 'losses' on EVs are being calculated based on the cost the develop the vehicle. which is pretty much how all vehicles costs are developed. usually also not just brand new, but updated too. just not many pay attention that, as almost no new vehicles can make a profit in the first year on the market, in some ways because the auto maker can come close to how much they have invested to design the new vehicle, but early production usually isnt as much as the number of vehicles will be made. and if you watch how the industry introduces new or updated vehicles you find they tend to produce the most expensive versions first. the lower cost versions will come later. problem those first models tend to make it appear that all of this model will be expensive. it will take an automaker a long time to figure out how much the model will make, since the early ones are just trying to pay for development and some profit. and in follow on models automakers tend to make minor changes just to keep sales going and to keep buyers attention. but in the end almost no 'new' models make much if any money. course lots of automakers need their ICE sales to fund the EV business, and while there is a lot of noise about how slow EV sales are, take a peak the ICE sales, and you would see ICE sales are falling off a cliff, in part because of how dealers treated their customers 2020-2023, and how interest rates arent helping either
Loved my Volvo 240. In the past I’ve owned 6 of them. Plus 1 850. Love Volvo. Sadly now they are so not affordable for me.
Flaw with separate EV division = redundancy leading to higher development and production costs.
But how much CAN you share between an EV and ICE car besides the outsides. Drive train and computers and whatnot, maybe 3/4 of the car, is not able to be shared.
Maybe if we have someone clever enough figure out a way to share 3/4 of the parts we can get enough volume to keep EVs affordable and repairable to make sense for people that just want transportation.
But suspect that is still a more like a Hybrid and not a true EV some insist we must have.
.that would be a great thing if it ever happens.
@@_xyzyz_ Actually, I was primarily referring to separate and duplicate staff, oddly enough the guesstimate of 3/4 would probably be about right on the physicality of the vehicle.
Where is it written that a manufacturer can't have common parts across models, or taking that a little further an EV and ICE version of a model that are all but identical; the practice of completely redesigning nearly everything from one model to another is comparatively recent and needlessly increases production and service costs.
One of the reasons why the auto industry and dealerships are having so much trouble right now is that they're trying to sell Americans expensive cars, trucks and SUVs at a time when most of us are so strapped by the cost of housing and food that they can't afford to go into debt for high end vehicles. This isn't just an EV thing, look at the crapshow that is the full sized pickup market. If manufacturers want to connect with buyers, they need to focus on affordability.
Oh, and less tech would be nice too.
The reasons discussed here for why EVs are not more popular are valid. However, when I interact with someone who does not own an EV and they ask questions about my EV, the cost of EVs is rarely an issue. Most of the people are just not interested in changing to something new. They generally don't care about the environment and will continue to buy ICE vehicles as long as those vehicles are the ones that car companies are selling. It is also frustrating that FUD about EVs seems to get more traction with ICE vehicle owners than the truth. Personally, I will never buy another ICE vehicle, but I have become discouraged when I try to convince others that the kind of car I drive is a better choice.
Like everything, it became political, which isn't helping either.
Even a lot of EV channels are afraid to talk about environmental concerns, or they don't care
Have you noticed how the ID.7 is heavily based on Tesla interiors? Large screen? Lack of buttons?
I think it's great that Europe offers smaller evs. The reasons for that are at least three-fold:
One, older, much tighter city streets and similarly tight geographic distances mean that smaller vehicles have always been the more practical, even totally necessary, option for Europeans, whereas the relative wide open spaces of North America promote the opposite sentiment in consumers. EVs in particular, so far need to be somewhat larger dimensions to accommodate battery packs capable of spanning those greater North American distances.
Two, much more expensive petroleum fuel in Europe has contributed psychologically to Europeans seeing the economic practicality of smaller vehicles, long before evs were a widespread option. Therefore car companies are assured that smaller vehicles already have a receptive market in the EU.
Three, the lamentable U.S. politics of vehicle efficiency standards policy (lobbied massively by manufacturers) has created equally massive incentives for those same manufacturers to shift their product lines to more massive, literally heavier, much more profitable, "light" trucks and even to replace efficient small hatchbacks and wagons with heavier, less aerodynamic crossover models. Consequentlly, manufacturers have spent the past 40+ years tirelessly campaigning in their advertising to convince consumers to think that we want bigger vehicles, especially trucks. They have never let up the push to convince us the falsehood that trucks are safer(they're not,) more useful(they are not, not for the average person's lifestyle purposes,) sportier(Ha!,) and "best" of all "cooler" than smaller cars. Those ad campaigns have been wildly successful. Consequently, in 40 years' time, the U.S. saw the top selling model go from being the little Ford Escort to now the Ford F-150, and even at that, the F-150 is much bigger and heavier than it was back then in the 1980's. (Sigh)
I just remembered a fourth reason small evs are psychologically an easier choice for European consumers: Europe has far superior long-distance rail transit infrastructure for travelers, giving confidence to those travelers that they have reliable options for travel throughout the EU without having to count on a car with long range capacity to get where they are trying to go. This gives Europeans peace of mind that buying a small, modest-range EV is indeed a sensible option that will not leave them stranded.
In the U.S.??? Not so much. Thanks to massive lobbying by both our petreleum and automotive industries, the once competitive rail systems we had have been thoroughly neglected, ...even dismantled,... in favor of building the world's most massive interstate highway system AND massive network of airline routes.
The U.S. "could" begin to change all of this infrastructure, but there are powerful capitalist/corporate forces that profit from the status quo and will fight hard to maintain their own selfish advantage. Ultimately, efficiency is not the leading force in the U.S., Corporate Profit is.
That profit currently derives from ice vehicles. Shareholders are pressuring manufacturer leadership to demonstrate profitability on a short-term basis, typically quarterly. That creates a conflict of goals. How does a company shift away from its still-profitable ice lines of product, toward the uncharted waters of evs, with all the RnD expense that requires?
😮💨
Personally? ...I can hardly wait to get my hands on my very own base model aptera! Talk about practical economy and efficiency!!!
Glad I got a Blazer EV before all is lost! I got sick of undersized EV’s or settling for a Tesla! The Blazer is huge with usable controls although I wish there were more regular controls! The easiest to drive was my 2013 Focus EV but range was minimal esp in winter it had all regular controls with no touch screen! The Blazer will work forever but I wish I could have supercruise which was not available now! I have now had 3 EV’s and will never buy a gas car again! Range has been tested at 2 different sites as 315-320miles which I don’t need! No maintenance means all service centers have never seen my face and don’t like EV’s!
Ditch the Tech.... Ditch the Tech,,,,,, "Come on, Everyone Shcant with me!"Ditch the Tech.... Ditch the Tech,,,,,, Ditch the Tech.... Ditch the Tech,,,,,,
Just stop integrating critical systems with infotainment, use open standards for module communication, make diagnostic information freely available and design for serviceability and upgradeabilty instead of everything being expensive sealed modules and locked down by the manufacturer.
No
The suck, squeeze, bang, blow thing? I recommend a different description, as suck, squeeze, bang, and blow sounds pretty positive, actually. ;-)
It was a shout out to to "Fully Charged" show host Robert Llewellyn.
The problem is that automakers have decided to make technical wonders. These wonders are much too expensive for the common person who just wants to travel from point A to point B. As a byproduct, the automakers have built such an expensive car that the market can't bear, so the must lower their prices to sell them. And if that manufacturer is also making ICE cars, they are essentially competing against themselves. In a competition of ICE cars where they are making a profit versus EVs where they are losing money, guess which one they are going to drop.
The solution is to look and see which ICE car is the most popular and create an EV with the same price and features. Imagine an EV with the same features and price of a Toyota Corolla, it would sell millions at a profit.
It’s what the presenter said
@@theairstig9164 Yup.
Curb weight doesn’t seem to have much effect on efficiency. Bjorn Nyland and others have tested it and concluded that, so long as you have good regen, weight doesn’t much affect net efficiency. Extra weight hurts during acceleration, has a negligible effect during cruising speed, and helps during regen. So the net effect is minimal.
My ID4 will be going to the shop. For the second time LG battery modules will have to be replaced. Not giving up on EVs but I will never buy another one with a battery made by that company. Oh and a door lock will have to be replaced for the second time.
That's the same company that made the batteries that failed spectacularly in the Chevy Bolt. Let's hope they've finally gotten their act together.
I’m saving up for the Renault 5 ev but if it’s price in the UK is gonna have me paying over £300 a month for a small polo sized hatchback I can’t justify it. Automakers really need to focus on making them affordable. Also some brands need to remember they aren’t Porsche. I’m not paying 30k for a Renault sorry that’s just insane
Whatever the car, 360° camera is really nice and should be an option on any car whatever the chosen trim level.
I hope to buy a hybrid car soon, I live in a rural State where an EV is not really practical and probably won't be for quite some time.
You might be surprised. I'm out in the sticks and find my 240 mi range daily driver is quite practical for everything, perhaps excluding trips WAY out into the unpopulated desert next door (and there aren't even gas stations out there). If I had to go out there, there are EVs available that would handle that kind of trip, too, but there's no way that I personally could justify a bigger battery just for that "if" situation. Anyway, I skipped over the hybrid option because they don't really do anything as far as cutting down the maintenance cost and are basically ICE vehicles that only operate partially on battery for short distances and/or low speeds. It was a mindset switch to get over the range anxiety thing, but not anything like the issue I'd feared it would be.
In terms of environmental cost to make them, combined with how many journeys most people can do on electric only, a plug in hybrid is a far more sensible choice than full electric. No point carrying around the weight and environmental cost of a 200+ mile battery for a trip you take once or twice a year, when your day to day driving can be fully electric for a much lower vehicle cost with a small battery in a plugin hybrid, while a few gallons of fuel cover the longer rarer trips with no charging or range issues.
If reducing pollution was the priority electric cars wouldn't be getting pushed at all over plugin hybrid because the same amount of mining needed to make one full electric car battery would easily put batteries in 5 or 6 plugin hybrids, or take a similar number of houses completely off the grid with a solar battery system, so every electric car is a lost opportunity to get multiples of the number of people one car benefits carbon free.
Talking about the smaller cars, Toyota is bringing an electric Yaris to market later this year (in Belgium at least)
In the search for the mythical less-expensive and small EV, I keep thinking about the Mitsubishi iMIEV. It was not a great success. But really, it was made and sold just a bit early in the battery and energy control development cycle. Were that car to be put back into production with modern battery technology and control systems, I would expect it's rather modest range to be addressed, it would have fast charging, and so I would have one in a heartbeat.
Often the battery installed in small cars is small to "contain costs", but this is also a new way for the manufacturers to push big cars.
All I get when I visit car dealerships is the typical process of salesmen (usually men) trying to push ever bigger cars at me. They have always done this. And most car makers have always done the least they can to sell their small cars, as they made less money on them. They kept the most desirable features for their big cars.
But like so many other people, I only need or want a small car, and have for all of my life.
BYD Dolphin and Ora Cat. Both are cheaper than the iMiev with higher specifications
@@theairstig9164 Yes, but that is not the point I was making.
Maybe in EVs, the electric motors are equivalent to the ICE gas tank (both light-weight, reliable and cheap), and the batteries in an EV are equivalent to the ICE engine (both large, heavy, costly, prone to aging, and less reliable). In other respects, there shouldn't be that much difference between EVs and ICE, so if batteries and motors become more commodity, why shouldn't EVs be as cheap as ICE vehicles? Tesla should have developed the "model 2" before the Cybertruck - they missed out on a golden opportunity to ride the mass adoption curve and flood the U.S. market.
This is much about the push pull of investors oil companies managers?
Don't get me wrong, I do like my ID4 and for me it has been a great car for around town (i.e. DC metro area). That being said I do have a garage, but I have to time share my outlet with my dryer as I did not have space in my panel to add a dedicated 30+ amp outlet just for the car. The main issue I have with the government mandates is that the infrastructure is not there to support those who live outside a major city or a major highway. When I go and visit relatives in upstate NY where I travel has very few DCFC along the way and where they live the closest DCFC is around 30 miles from their house. Their houses run on gas/oil for the most part and their houses are from the 1930's or older and only have at best a 100 amp service to the house. I can't park the car for days in order to charge on a L1. This is often made worse in winter with my range being cut from 220 to being around 130-150 which is less than the 170 between scranton and harrisburg on I-81. There is also the huge issue with EV's still being 10-20k more expensive upfront then their ICE counterparts and then the fact that as with phones, no one wants yesterday's electronics which make leasing expensive when compared to the ICE counterpart. With high prices those who could afford an EV went out and got one and the stall seems to be that the government tried to push demand on the adoption curve to early and may have actually hurt adoption. Also there is the issue and question is BEV the best option (maybe it is), but government coming and interfering in market by choosing the technology causes major issues. It may have been better to stick with increasing EPA ratings and let the markets figure out the solution. That solution may have been more public transit, people moving to more urban areas, etc - not forcing rural people to buy an EV when it does not fit their needs - the needs of 50% of the US population BTW
The infrastructure is building out very rapidly. Including in NY state.
The number of fast chargers along your route will be greater next year. And the following year, it will be greater again.
The problem you describe is real, but temporary.
@@davidmenasco5743 I am not saying it won't be fixed or get better, I am saying that for now (within the next 10 years) I'll likely go with a plug in hybrid vs a pure EV.
Rural is only 17.9% of the US population. If anything they’ll still have ICE after the cities and suburbs have largely moved to EV’s.
I see lots of negative stuff from several sources about EVs. It is due to ignorance, normality bias, and, in some cases -- perceived threats to their financial well being.
One Platform -- yes its good, but can be very poisonous for ionnovation, especially in early years of low hanging fruit. Tesla has basically gone through 6+ major platforms Original Roadster, Original Model S, 2nd Gen Model S, Model 3, New Model S, Cybertruck.
All of this has allowed them from have very 'compromised' car in 2013 to unmatched vehicles in 2014.
The big problem is traditional auto just isn't used to actual change. EV are disruptive technology, and a disruptive technology just hit an industry that hasn't had major changes in nearly a hundred years. While Tesla is no longer a startup, an in my opinion should adopt some of the practice of the other automakers, it had created the key template of what an electric car should be. But it's growth process was rocky decade long struggle, that without having old baggage. Hyundai and Kia are rather new automakers so they were more adaptable to these changes. But the others are struggling to figure out how to incorporate their generations of experience into a new technology is difficult, and expensive.
That major change 100 years ago was when IC technology replaced EVs. Hundreds of EV makers who could not make the transition to ICE went bankrupt. We are seeing history repeat itself. Toyota was ahead of the game turning away from EV and towards more ICE, other large auto makers are following.. but very difficult for EV only makers. Producing a competitive modern engine isn't like wiring up some batteries to a motor, it's very advanced technology.
Flawed concept from the outset. There is no way to provide sufficient power at destinations for timely charging at peak times. Take a coastal town for example, on Sunday afternoon there is going to be 5,000 vehicles all wanting to charge to go home. 5,000 cars multiplied by 30 minutes charging is 2,500 hours charge time, so even if there was a 10 charger bay in constant use you would be waiting almost two weeks before it was your turn to charge the vehicle.
Yes, when you do low volumes, you will lose money. True with EVs. True with a pair of scissors or desktop PCs. Scale is critical (as well as lowering costs of batteries of course). Ideally someone will build a great EV that costs ~$40-45,000, with decent range and great charging speed. Chicken or the egg issue though. The manufacturer is going to need about 250,000 or more of unit sales to make it work. (Higher would be better).
Give me an 85% version of the Ioniq 6 with the same range...
I'd wish for a Ford Escort wagon-sized EV. Small (by North American standards) but serviceable.
Carbon fiber is a dead end for cars. Making carbon fiber is an expense labor intensive process using expensive materials. Hence the i3 was a dead end. Probably the best weight savings option for the future would be magnesium instead of aluminum.
yeah Ford needs to make a Feasta 2: Electric Boogaloo, personally I have my eye on a Chevy Spark EV but still too far out of my price range but I have been watching it for a long while and it is getting closer, I think because I am the only one watching it.
Unfortunately there are some physical (reality) fundamentals that make electric energy storage way less practical than hydrocarbons ("gas"). For every 1kg of hydrocarbon, you need approx 30 to 80 Kg of battery pack (depending on the battery chemistry), to store the same amount of energy. Also the battery solution still has the same Kgs even when depleted ...
So if you fill a small car's tank with 20 Liters of "Gas", an equivalent battery would weigh 600 Kg to 1600 Kg (0.6 to 1.6 Tonnes). This is the most optimistic possibility. Plus all the other issues: cold temp, should only use the middle 60% of capacity, ... this is why I cannot see how EVs will be easily adopted. And few are talking about the "Where does Electricity come from issue.", if you are thinking: "Just build a million square kilometers of solar panels", that is only the beginning. For example, when the sun does not shine, you need days, and weeks, months of battery storage. There are some practical possibilities: Nuclear power plants around big cities.
The problem is, the modern western world has always used Hydrocarbons: a hug amount of energy, and no one wants to have less.
Or go back to an Old rural village life style: limited: education, medical, contact with the nearest village and spend much of the daylight hours working in garden, fields and forest ...
Many people in the west are dreaming because the engineers are not being listened to, especially the make-believe politicians.
I'm not sure if EVs are the best choice for overall carbon dioxide reduction. In the current world where grid and charging infrastructure are limited using batteries for the home to supplement local solar and wind production might be a better use.
Why not CANOO? It is NativeAmerican made in Pryor California. The two wheel drive Bulldog truck is priced as $21,000 before incentive.
Is that thing available now, or is that a projected future price? Tesla bootstrapped the M3 with the MS & MX. Saints preserve us from insidious vaporware.
What about byd?
Eventually all governments will switch from carrot to stick. The UK is ahead of the game with the ZEV mandate with 15K/ICE penalty for missing your quota. Next will be road pricing to replace fuel duty. I guess only the rich can afford the fees. Bring on the 15min prison?
I guess it will be something like debtor's prison. No EV, go to jail?
Sounds like you fundamentally or willfully misunderstand what a 15 minute city is. Imagine not needing to get in your car for every trip you need to take everywhere because there are easier, faster and more enjoyable options available to you instead. A car that's not being used for every trip a family needs to take every day is already way less of an environmental burden regardless of fuel. Where I live is effectively a 15 minute city, so my car stays where it is while i go about my daily life, only ussing it for intercity type trips or carrying cargo. It would be actively bad for the environment for me to swap my low annual mileage dieselgate car for an EV as the massive environmental cost to make the battery would never be recouped over the life of the EV with the amount it would get used.