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Originally Posted by Evergreen6
Consumer Reports puts out good data. They've also ragged on vehicles like the Camaro and Jeep Wrangler for years, and people still bought them for their own reasons anyway. CR doesn't seem to have the purchase-stopping power that some believe they do. CR's reviews also don't tell the whole story of an ownership experience. They've rated Kias highly in the past, and well, Kias also win awards for some of the most-recalled vehicles ever, with engine fires and insurance companies that have dropped certain models because they're too easy to steal. Keep in mind, I own an EV....it's been an overall very positive experience and nothing like people throwing negative data about them around on a message board wish you to believe.
But yes, I agree, EV's have some uphill challenges. But when price comes down, and when charging stations become ubiquitous (adding around the US at a rate of 46k per year, presently), and when battery tech innovates again and we see bigger range, shorter recharge, there's a good chance EV's will become both dominant and superior for many use cases. I can come up with data that says EV's are faster, safer, and are better in some cases, contribute to fewer overall emissions, and may have a cheaper cost of ownership. That doesn't matter to someone who hasn't/won't/will never own one.
There's a misconception that the state of EV is presently fully-baked, and this is what it will look like going forward, as good as it gets. It's not. It will either fail and be put back in the box for another day, or it's going to be come the next Thing. My bet is on the latter. There's over 100 years of ICV innovation and evolution, and the modern EV has been out for a little over 12 years if we consider that point in time to be roughly around dawn of the mass-produced Model S. The advancement that's been made in that amount of time is un-ignorable.
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It is very important to avoid a Michael Moore, magical EV destiny viewpoint.
Electricity as a consumer power source is already more cost effective for people that turn EV down. The why's are not irrelevant and not whatever FUD stands for.
The recharge issue will run into occupational/safety limitations. Cells/Batteries will improve incrementally (even then it's stupid not to have a fuel heat auxiliary for deep freezes). It's impossible for there to be a breakthrough in motor efficiency.
I could argue the early Model S was better aimed at market adoption. And in the bigger picture, 3/Y and Cybertruck continue a mission creep; knowing that the trend early adopters are men with tech-forward egos, that will buy hyped specifications, on severely bean-counted vehicles.
I am slightly curious on comparable insurance rates, repair costs. I suspect GM's platforms put higher emphasis on it than Tesla's.