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They existed years ago and I am skeptical that they are significant enough to make the average person even consider a new electric car. They are still too expen
by neuronic 6y ago
They existed years ago and I am skeptical that they are significant enough to make the average person even consider a new electric car. They are still too expensive for what they offer, even with heavy subsidies.
However, what I do see in Germany, are more and more electric cars in car sharing, rentals and company fleets. Upper middle class is going pretty electric as well to appear cool/caring about climate. Several Teslas in front of my building now since the new upper middle class apartments went up across the street. Several Audi e-Trons in the area as well. What's curiously missing is the ID.3 somehow - I expected to see many more at this point.
Volkswagen and many other well-known manufacturers are pushing out really decent electric models. I see a ton of Renault Zoes cruising around, electric Smarts as well. They simply fit well into the European market which is dominated by dense cities and short commutes (<100km).
- hobofan 6y ago> They are still too expensive for what they offer, even with heavy subsidies. > Renault Zoes In Berlin, Renault Zoes were (maybe still are?) _free_[0] to get for small businesses. I know multiple freelancers who took advantage of that deal. Yes, that might not be the "average person", but it's probably not insignificant either. [0]: https://efahrer.chip.de/news/elektroauto-gratis-leasen-so-kommen-sie-an-ihre-kostenlose-zoe_101415 https://efahrer.chip.de/news/elektroauto-gratis-leasen-so-ko...
- Reason077 6y agoYes, right now electric vehicles are certainly an "upper middle class" thing. But that's largely because EVs are still new and the "average" person just can't afford to buy a brand new car every few years. However, in 5-10 years we should start to see a mature market for good quality used EVs, making them much more accessible. At that point, better reliability, better driving experience, much lower operating costs, etc will make EVs the obvious choice for many, if not most, buyers.
- thinkcontext 6y ago> They are still too expensive for what they offer, even with heavy subsidies. The average price paid for new US cars was $40K [0]. There are now plenty of models below that without subsidy, including Chevy Bolt, Nissan Leaf, VW ID4, Kia Niro, Hyundai Kona and even the low end of the Tesla 3. That's just the upfront price, of course TCO is lower than a same price ICE car because fuel and maintenance are lower. [0] https://www.carscoops.com/2021/01/average-new-car-prices-in-the-u-s-surpass-40000-for-the-first-time/ https://www.carscoops.com/2021/01/average-new-car-prices-in-...
- konschubert 6y agoWhat was the median price paid for new US cars?