I have been monitoring the concerns being raised about electric vehicles (EVs) for Legal Insurrection, especially in light of the relentless promotion by politicians and politically connected eco-activists.
The CEO of Toyota has reported most of his colleagues do not think EV-only transportation is sensible, practical, or realistic. EV drivers are experiencing “range anxiety,” and short trips have doubled or more in time due to charging times. Blackouts, especially during the summer heat waves, make reliance on EVs impractical.
Now, a new study shows that a significant share of Americans who own an EV have buyer’s remorse and want to switch back to vehicles with traditional internal combustion engines (ICE).
McKinsey & Co.’s Mobility Consumer Pulse for 2024, released this month, found that 46% of EV owners in the U.S. said they were “very” likely to switch back to owning a gas-powered vehicle in their next purchase.The high percentage of Americans who want to make a switch even surprised the consulting firm.“I didn’t expect that,” the head of McKinsey’s Center for Future Mobility, Philipp Kampshoff, told Automotive News. “I thought, ‘Once an EV buyer, always an EV buyer.’”In the poll of nearly 37,000 consumers worldwide, Australia was the only country with a greater percentage, 49%, of EV owners than the U.S. who said they were ready to return to owning an internal combustion engine.
In 2021, Biden came into office promising the construction of 500,000 electric vehicle charging stations by 2030. We are less than six years away, yet only seven have been built, in large part because of the administrations Diversity-Equity-Inclusion policies.
And many charging stations have been stripped for their copper in various parts of the country.
The lack of convenient charging stations is the most common reason cited for the discontent with EVs. However, there are many others.
The primary reason cited by EV owners for wanting to switch back was the lack of available charging infrastructure, with 35 percent of respondents identifying this issue.The second most common reason, mentioned by 34 percent, was the high total cost of owning an EV. Additionally, 32 percent of EV owners reported that their driving patterns on long-distance trips were adversely affected due to owning an EV.
The wildly inflated EV range claims aren’t helping, either.
“I’ve been road testing electric cars regularly for more than two years now, and not once has a battery-only vehicle met the claimed capacity for its battery,” wrote senior contributor Neil Winton. “The average shortfall is close to 20%.”Tesla actually did better in his tests than some of the other EVs.A report from Car & Driver last August found that only three cars it tested did better than the official EPA range estimate. Tesla’s Model S is supposed to go 348 miles on a charge but only made it 280 miles. Ford’s electric F-150 came up 70 miles short of its reported 300-mile range.SAE International studied the performance of 21 EV models this year and found that, on average, the cars’ range was inflated by 12.5%. “Most (EVs) tested to date fall short of both their electric consumption and range label values,” the report finds. EVs, it turns out, do worse on long-distance trips than urban short hauls because constant braking helps recharge their batteries.
Recently, President Donald Trump indicated he would reverse the Biden-era mandates related to EVs.
In a recent meeting with House Republicans, former President Donald Trump declared his intention to completely reverse President Joe Biden’s electric vehicle (EV) policies if he is re-elected. Trump criticized the current administration’s push towards battery-powered cars, describing the mandate as “crazy,” according to Idaho Representative Russ Fulcher. He emphasized that, if given the opportunity, he would overturn Biden’s EV policies entirely.Trump’s remarks, delivered at the Capitol Hill Club, reflect his longstanding opposition to electric vehicles. He has consistently argued that EVs are ineffective and detrimental to American autoworkers, suggesting they primarily benefit countries like China and Mexico. Virginia Representative Morgan Griffith also highlighted Trump’s sentiment, noting that Trump believes Biden is forcing Americans into buying electric cars, which he deems unreasonable.
It appears that many EV owners have learned some valuable lessons about the utopian promises made about this green technology, and Trump may find many new supporters in the group.
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