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I agree that HN's perspective, and mine, skew too far in one direction, but I think you are skewing too far in the other direction - the "vast majority" of people in the United States are not so broke that they cannot afford reasonably priced new vehicles, or we'd be selling a lot less of them and at lower prices. Consider that the average new car in the United States cost $48,000 in 2022[0]. I own a new 2023 Chevy Bolt. It cost $36,000; the base price is more like $27,000.[1]. The Tesla Model 3 starts right around that average number at $48,000[2]. The Ioniq 5 starts at $42,000[3]. The Mach E likewise, around $46,000[4]. Electric cars are priced right around what people are paying, on average, for new cars. You're right that battery packs are very expensive - right now, for new vehicles. But the very first Tesla Roadster was only made in 2008, and the model S, in 2012. We've only had a market with multiple decent choices for reasonably priced EVs in the last three to four years. Give it time. Also, just to add: a "bad battery" isn't necessarily one that's worthless. My Bolt's battery gets ~250 miles of range now. I don't drive a quarter of that on an average day, nor do most people. Batteries degrade over time - they don't necessarily give out or totally stop working. [0] https://www.kbb.com/car-news/average-new-car-price-hits-reco...
[1] https://www.caranddriver.com/chevrolet/bolt-ev
[2] https://www.caranddriver.com/tesla/model-3
[3] https://www.caranddriver.com/hyundai/ioniq-5
[4] https://www.ford.com/buy/mach-e/build-and-price.html?gnav=sh... |