Here in the rust belt, electric cars are not a panacea. Electricity is cheaper than gas, but not by a mind-blowing margin. (Solar would help, if the sun shined

Here in the rust belt, electric cars are not a panacea. Electricity is cheaper than gas, but not by a mind-blowing margin. (Solar would help, if the sun shined at night when most cars would be charging.) The whole non-engine rest of an EV has the same disadvantages as a gas guzzler. The best way to lower TCO of any car is to avoid buying a replacement for as long as you can. In my area, we get an average of 12 years out of a vehicle before the frame, suspension, and floorboards rust out so bad that the car is unsafe to drive or uneconomical to repair. There are two ways this could be solved: 1. Stop using salt and other extremely corrosive chemicals to melt ice and snow on public roads. This isn't going to happen because there are no good replacements in the first place. But even if there were, decision-makers have no incentive to risk their political power with a choice that (even in hindsight) turned out to negatively impact public safety. Salt keeps people safe, damn all the other reasons not to use it. 2. Make car frames, suspensions, and undercarriages out of more durable metals, like aluminum and stainless steel. This is more likely and feasible than #1, but still has several hurdles. Car makers will not voluntarily do this for multiple obvious reasons. Consumers would complain about the higher prices but pay them anyway. I would like to see--but probably won't--regulation passing in spite of lobbying efforts from both sides. Edit: I can see myself buying an electric car for around-town driving at some point, IF the manufacturers ever make one that does not require the car being permanently connected to the cloud in order to function and charge.