We Don’t Need No Flaming Sparky Cars

Alternative Subsidy 23 Comments

Why the public isn’t buying electric cars

I also suggest you consult the experts on this matter: automotive journalists. A quick scan of car publications might give the impression that journalists unanimously adore EVs – that battery power is the best thing to happen to cars since heated seats – and that the only question left is which of these wonderful machines you should buy.

But beneath the glowing reviews and breathless prose that mark the launch of every new EV SUV, a different picture can be glimpsed. And it’s one that can be unveiled by asking any car journalist a simple question: do they have an EV themselves?

23 Replies to “We Don’t Need No Flaming Sparky Cars”

  1. People from the Burbs who don’t know anything about cars, and for whom $10K to hook up a charger in the garage is no big deal, are the ones who buy electric cars. Usually Teslas, usually as second cars.

    It seems from the numbers available that only 18% or so buy one twice.

    1. And more importantly … as the article stated … suburbanites purchase only 24% of the 16% EV automobiles of ALL automobiles. So … regular people who live in suburbia purchase only 4% of the 16% of total EV sales. So … suburbanites are purchasing 96% ICE automobiles.

      Who is buying 76% of the 16% EV purchases ? Corporate, Utility, and government fleet buyers. Regular people aren’t getting anywhere NEAR EV’s.

      But there’s another reason people are STILL buying ICE vehicles and ignoring the fancy, high-tech, EV’s … the build quality, reliability, and technical advancements of ICE cars are equal (and better) than EV’s. Most new ICE autos will go forever … virtually self-tune … and provide 250,000 miles of near trouble free driving. Yeah … and that thing that you can go wherever you want with ZERO anxiety.

      1. Good comment .. good stats. I agree the for most normal people EVs are a no go. I sure don’t want that expensive misery.

        There is enough stress in daily life without the anxiety of an EV and when it’s juice runs out ,.. in winter ,.. in Canada ,.. 150 miles from anywhere to get a tow and a charge and a stiff drink.

        1. In southern Ontario, I asked a CAA tow truck driver what he towed the most. Without hesitation, he said it was Tesla’s. Just to be sure, I asked the reason. Again, no hesitation, he had his answer; “dead battery.” So, range anxiety must be the unspoken problem of most EV drivers.
          Best EV I’ve ever heard of was a Fisker Karma with a Chevy LS swap.

  2. Hugo Griffiths left off some of the most important reasons why EV’s are not a cascading success.

    1. A vast majority of those who HAVE purchased an EV didn’t do so out of concern for the climate. They did so out of a concern for themselves. It’s a status symbol. It’s a virtue signal. South Park nailed it dead on years ago when they did the “Prius” episode. All the newly minted Prius owners were driving around South Park aimlessly waving to all the other Prius owners and offering up a “Good for you” exclaimation.

    2. He doesn’t even address the fact that a vast majority of the world’s population doesn’t accept that “Climate Change” is anything to be overly concerned about.

    3. People, I don’t care who you are, don’t like to be told what to do. And, they certainly don’t like the government to tell them what to do.

    4. No mention from Griffiths that a massive influx of EV’s would overwhelm the already ailing electrical grids.

    5. No real mention that the battery life of an EV is about 200,000 miles max…which requires a replacement currently priced upwards of $18,000 per.

    (He left a lot of things out of this article….which brings up the rather valid point that there are many more substantive reasons NOT to buy an EV than there are to buy one).

  3. They are great for driving around town, as long as you don’t exceed the range limit allowing you to return to your garage charger. From reports of people who have rented them, the chargers aren’t always where Google says they are, nor are they always working when you find them. There are often long waits just to get to the charger so if you are rushing off to the hospital or an appointment that can be very inconvenient. I see an increase in the value of gas/diesel vehicles once they stop making them. The other issue is infrastructure, I know someone who works for BC Hydro and one of their fears is that the yuppies in downtown Vancouver, with an old grid designed in the 50s and 60s, will short out the grid when they all plug in their Tesla’s at once. EV’s are really only viable year round in the BC Lower Mainland and Vancouver Island. The rest of the country actually experiences winter and they weren’t designed for that. Just waiting for a blizzard and the 401 being shutdown with whiteouts and cars stuck out there for days – how long does your battery last running the heat pump in your car at -30 C.

  4. Those of us who understand electricity, and the severe limitations of even the latest battery technology, have been trying to tell people that EVs won’t work well at all. But politicians don’t listen to us. They listen to the greenies who tell them that EVs will save us from climate doom, along with wind turbines and solar panels and massive battery banks. They mandate Net Zero nonsense and spend gazillions on this stuff and on its subsidies without having a clue about grid limitations along with the battery limitations.

    And then reality starts to set in. Not enough power, not enough charging stations, not enough grid capacity, not enough grid-scale battery capacity no matter how much money you throw at it.

    So they order more wind turbines. And more charging stations. And so the taxpayer gets to pay for the politicians’ educations: learning stuff the hard way.

    1. Valid points, and it’s something I’ve been curious about. I get the distinct impression that the battery technology just isn’t there yet. It’s like putting a V-4 in a Porsche. For example, it’s my understanding that each EV contains a battery pack with well over 4,000 cells. It’s a misconception that when someone refers to the battery in an EV they picture it like a singular item…but it’s not. And, that’s important. Because it’s easy to think that the range issue could be solved by just adding in additional plug and play “batteries.” Going 500 miles? Just charge up some additional batteries and hook them up when necessary. But, due to the size, weight and spread of the battery, it’s not feasible. They’re too big, weigh too much, and as a result, not convenient for extensive distance.

      That’s a HUGE problem, because there is not going to be a significant “Used EV” market. You’re not going to be able to go to the local used car dealer and pick up an EV. At the very least, you’d be buying a vehicle with a limited life battery which is going to cost over $20k to replace with labor in the not too distant future. It’s not like you can work on it yourself in your garage on weekends.

      1. You only mentioned the used car buyer side.

        Currently, there is a large segment of people who have as one of their only stores of “wealth” the equity in their vehicle. They rely in the trade in value (or used car market price) on their current vehicle to be able to buy their next new one.

        They won’t build any equity in an EV, because the resale value will be so low due to battery life, so these already struggling people will be even poorer

  5. These auto columnists always provide the best cherry picked stats to promote their pet EVs, always twisting the numbers showing how EVs are the ‘cheapest’ vehicles to run on an annual basis.
    Conveniently, they leave out the fact that the purchase price of said EVs, run double a typical ICE vehicle. This isn’t counting the Prius, which only a Soi boi or Greentard cat lady would drive, yet they are still more expensive than a Toyota Corolla, or similar econobox.
    If someone gave me a Tesla or MachE, gratis, I might keep it for year to test it out, but likely to sell it off for something more reliable with twice the range, and get some cash back as well.

    1. Correct.

      It’s no different in the ‘Gear’ industry. Nike brings out a new shoe. They give a pair to one of their shills who writes a glowing report in a trade magazine. Then a ‘meeting’ is held in a warm resort and all the shills are invited. You write a negative review and your off the ‘team’.

      The same thing holds true for any product. The manufacturers have their shills writing product reviews on web sites extolling the virtues of products they’ve probably never tested themselves. It doesn’t matter if it’s bicycles , shotguns or pharmaceuticals.

  6. Just ask the imbeciles at the city of Edmonton transit department how their fleet of electric buses is working out for them. Nothing another property tax increase won’t remedy.

  7. I actually don’t mind the idea of hybrid vehicles (though they are unavoidably more complex than either an ICE or “pure” EV), but weirdly, every time I’ve been in Europe since 2012, I’ve rented a vehicle which has been a hybrid, and EVERY SINGLE TIME the vehicle’s electric subsystem has been on the fritz. Still worked flawlessly, because the gasoline or diesel engine was available, but I’ve yet to rent a hybrid where the electrics have worked as intended by the engineers who designed the vehicle.

    And now everyone knows why I won’t buy a hybrid. EVs aren’t even under consideration.

    1. I can tell you the number one failure point of modern vehicles is the electronics. So making the more heavily reliant on electronics is not helping things.

      Also, when EV fans point out that vehicle fires happen in ICE cars, it’s worth noting that almost all of those fires are, in fact, electrical, usually in a vehicle that’s starting to get on in years. As EV’s age, things are going to get mighty interesting.

      1. The big problem with EV fires is the battery gives off oxygen as it burns so you cannot smother the fire as they self oxygenate. That and the temps will melt rebar cause structural failure in concrete structures. Check out London airport and the Lutton parkade collapse. The lying press claimed it was a diesel but photo evidence says it was a Land Rover Hybrid known for catching fire.
        Big difference in an ICE fire.

  8. There’s a video out there on the internet of a curbside parked city bus bursting into flames for no good reason. The roof where the battery pack is located just goes up like a firework display and proceeds to rain down large incendiary fragments akin to a kid’s toy sparkler. Within literally seconds the bus was emitting black toxic smoke and flames. It appeared there was no one on the bus at the time which was a good thing BUT it could have gone the other way and people could have been incinerated especially if there was a mad rush to the doors….it was that quick.

    You will never catch me on one of those potential death traps.

    1. Taking public transit on an EV is like inviting 30 random electrical engineers to short-circuit your vehicle’s battery pack.

      Or something. I think.

  11. It doesn’t matter what the public wants. Governments will force you to buy EV’s whether you like it or not, by banning ICE vehicles. That is… before they ban private car ownership altogether. They won’t care what the public thinks, because they have an agenda to accomplish.

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