Words not used in the article- “demand”, “consumer”, “want”, “customer”. Carmakers are pushing electric SUVs because that’s what the (highest margin) customers

Words not used in the article- “demand”, “consumer”, “want”, “customer”. Carmakers are pushing electric SUVs because that’s what the (highest margin) customers want and will pay for. It world be worth tweaking public policy to change incentives (provide more subsidies the more energy efficient the car is) but blaming auto manufacturers for chasing demand and profits is a food errand. Right now the highly efficient low cost market segment seems like it is better served by traditional hybrids and plug in hybrids- you can get a Hyundai Elantra hybrid at 56 mpg for $24550 MSRP or a plug in Prius for $30k. Of course there is still the Nissan leaf, starting at $28k for a true BEV still. As component costs (read batteries) come down and manufacturing capabilities go up, I think you’ll be back to seeing more BEVs at the low end, but right now the manufacturers are chasing the premium customer with what they’ve got.