Viewing a single comment thread. View all comments

sazerrrac t1_j8oqbmp wrote

Reply to comment by SilverNicktail in Electric Vehicle Sales Top $1 Trillion in Wake Up Call for Carmakers by seascot

Mass adoption is definitely inevitable, and the growth rates of the EV market are huge, but buying an electric vehicle today is still not a straightforward decision - especially in single car households. The range and charging infrastructure doesn’t yet provide a credible alternative to that of internal combustion engines.

It’ll come though. As ranges and charging speeds improve, it’ll become as easy (if not easier) to charge your car than fill the fuel tank.

There are also challenges with costs. Batteries represent a huge proportion of the cost of the vehicles and don’t come cheap. So there’s also a bit of a chicken and egg situation when it comes to volumes and economies of scale. At the moment an EV often represents a more expensive initial outlay versus a traditional power train.

I’m sad. I could witter on about this stuff all day…

18

SilverNicktail t1_j8tfjgk wrote

> Mass adoption is definitely inevitable, and the growth rates of the EV market are huge, but buying an electric vehicle today is still not a straightforward decision - especially in single car households.

Sure, but the article is partly about that right?

> The range and charging infrastructure doesn’t yet provide a credible alternative to that of internal combustion engines.

Can't agree with all of this. I can buy a mainstream EV today with the same range as my ICE car, and the cities/highways around here have plenty of charging infrastructure. I would agree that it's something of a postcode lottery, and rural areas are naturally far less well served, but people in rural areas are also going to be set up far better for home charging.

> As ranges and charging speeds improve, it’ll become as easy (if not easier) to charge your car than fill the fuel tank.

I often say that it needs a change in thinking. I don't think the "gas station" setup is going to survive as it currently does. You'll charge your EV when doing something else - park and plug. A lot of have previously focused on charging times for EVs, but if you're spending a few hours watching a movie while it charges it suddenly matters a whole lot less. Of course, for long-distance it still matters a lot but the percentage of daily journeys that are beyond the range of an EV battery is tiny.

> At the moment an EV often represents a more expensive initial outlay versus a traditional power train.

Very true, but again that's kinda the point of the article ;-)

1