@tess not coincidentally, two wheeled EVs (AKA e-bikes are selling very well indeed)

@tess I am absolutely chomping at the bit for the new Chinese mini-EVs. No idea if those would clear American safety regulations even if Trump/Biden weren't going hyper-protectionist.

@tess EV price floor doesn't help either

@tess

Absolutely impossible to get a small anything, let alone a plugin-in hybrid that's good for getting around town off the plug but can still take you out of town without hour long pitstops at charging stations.

"Let's hawk electric monster trucks to coal rollers" was apparently the plan? It's not like the administration is unaware that the NHTSA could bring the size of the fleet down by extending safety to include pedestrians, since they're taking a half-assed swing at it.

@tess I wonder to what extent that could be intentional.

@tess An electric love bug would be a hit, around the world.

@tess well, GM does make a sensible sized Bolt that is not a bad car, after a long drawn out battery problem that saw most bolts with new batteries installed under warranty!

@tess This this one thousand times this

Not everyone wants to drive a goddamn tank around town !

@tess You mean something like this?

https://www.telotrucks.com/

@tess @briankrebs
I want an EV version of my Ford Focus - nothing more

@tess Chevy killing off the Bolt was a tragedy. That was by far the most reasonable EV for most people!

@tess I don't agree with there being that many "giant" SUVs. They're all compact SUVs which are the single most popular form factor today. Your core point about not having enough sedans does hold, but a lot of these companies sell exactly one EV and it's not surprising they picked the biggest market form factor.

@tess

Also, it's nice to buy cars that are engineered well. Where the wheels don't fall off and that have a real dashboard instead of an iPad.

@tess I made this silly meme earlier this week and I will keep reposting it as our current car approaches its inevitable death and our choice to replace it continues to be "splurge on a tank or continue burning gas"

@tess I love my BYD Atto 3. Covers all my needs and did not cost an arm and a leg.

@tess So true - my VW GTE eats tires. They insist timing chain $1k is replaced after 3 years and the Infotainment system sucks - App won't work on Android and 25% of the battery cells have died. Dynamic Chassis Control $1k extra is invisible - other than that I love it. Roll on cheapie from Chinese BYD that will glide of speed bumps without breaking my back and I will buy it.

I do actually want a $300,000 electric vehicle to take me to work every day.

@tess My Mach-E feels positively petite compared to most things on the road, it's wild.

@tess

Something small enough to park while still having a little cargo space is what most people want EV or not.

There's a reason why kei trucks have become so popular with farmers.

@tess yes and there are other underlying factors as well. Take Texas where a new EV registration now runs you 400 bucks. Then it's 200 a year after that.

A typical registration here is under 100 dollars per year.

@tess they need to look at what is happening in parts of Europe (where a number of smaller EV's are now on the market). https://www.connexionfrance.com/article/Practical/Transport/Here-is-the-list-of-electric-cars-eligible-for-aid-in-France-in-2024

@tess that's why the chevy bolt is in such high demand. It's one of the few affordable-ish EVs that's not giant AND has a good range

@tess
A lot of the problem is infrastructure.

The infrastructure for gas automobiles didn't just appear of of nowhere. The auto industry pushed for laws, and the development of infrastructure happened over decades.

And we know from countries that have higher adoption rates that we need more infrastructure. For example, those apartment landlords aren't going to put charging stations in their parking lots unless you pass laws that force them to.

@tess
BAM! 👍

@tess
I think this is the cheapest EV in Europe. And it's more than capable of performing most tasks.
"Dacia published vehicle data collected, according to which Spring customers drive an average of 37 kilometres a day at an average speed of 37 kph. Ninety per cent of all journeys are shorter than 70 kilometres."
https://www.electrive.com/2024/02/21/new-design-familiar-drive-system-dacia-refreshes-its-spring/

@tess …publishing doesn’t solve for people scraping by.

@tess It would be easy to incentivize smaller EVs by putting a size restriction on the $7,500 federal tax credit. There already are a buttload of restrictions

There’s a MSRP limit of $55K for cars, but it goes up to $80K for SUVs and minivans :NekoSad:

https://www.cnet.com/roadshow/news/the-2024-ev-tax-credit-big-rebate-small-list/

@tess Ford claims that they've learned and will be making smaller EVs.

If they don't, BYD will.

@tess I think VinFast is trying to revive the Geo Tracker/Suzuki Samurai in EV form for under $20k:

https://arstechnica.com/cars/2024/01/this-tiny-ev-crossover-from-vinfast-will-go-on-sale-in-the-us/

@tess give 👏 me 👏 a 👏 BMW i3 REx 👏 that 👏 isn't 👏 quite 👏 so 👏 ugly

@tess currently, chevy has all dealership on a Stop Sale order for EVs because of recent battery failures in new vehicles.

EV sales are down partly because the dealers aren't allowed to sell them.

edited: new-sale EVs are overkill for most people's needs. Adding another piece of the puzzle for information.

@tess
I'm really hoping this car is a major success.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DDmeqLEB9c0

@tess The goal of companies is not to supply what customers want or need - the goal is to make a profit. The goal of car executives is to make a killing on their stock options, which means making a profit in the way that Wall Street likes most. These days, Wall Street likes high profit margins.

So... the current crop of car executives would rather make a great profit on expensive impractical trucks than make a tiny profit on cheap basic small cars.

@tess This is why an ebike is the choice for people who just want to move and don't want to spend money on gas.

@tess Where I live almost every model of EV has a wait list of one year, many gaz powered car have a wait list too and used car's prices have skyrocketed because of it.

@tess BEVs are a fad. They don't make sense in nearly any cases. This is just the next lazy attempt at a shortcut to green transportation, paralleling ethanol and diesel cars.

@tess I talk the talk and drive the drive - saved ALOT..

still pricey a f in FL.. thanks to fash.

foreign n domestic.
~
and they hate this: https://www.youtube.com/shorts/dCNpwX2t9Ak

///
https://www.youtube.com/shorts/ExJhQ2mUf9M

you are not supposed to use your AC while pumping gas right? EV you can while charging oh yes.
:ablobcatrave: :ablobcatbongo:

@tess And I'm in the market for a big fucking truck, but not the kind they're selling. Except I'm not looking for a city rig, I'm looking for a camper/rancher special: Doesn't matter how fast it gets there, it matters that it can stop and that it can carry a large volume of something heavy, like a slide-in camper, or a lot of camping gear. I'm outdoorsy and would go backpacking from a trailhead I got to in a chevy sprint. my husband is not. Truck bed camping is the compromise.

@tess
The Nissan Leaf was great for that, but the volumes didn't go up much.
The slightly higher step of "Model Y" has done very well though.
And now Volvo is releasing a sub-30k EV, so there's hope!

@tess 🎯

@tess I live in the country and want an EV pickup, but I dont need a behemoth. Something the size of a Subaru Brat with AWD would be great.

@tess True. However, I can rattle off a few right-sized EVs that didn't quite make it, or outright flopped. One of my favorites is (was?) the Evovelo (http://www.evovelo.com), which just announced the end of the project, and are looking for another group to take over.

There's also the PEBL (https://www.better.bike/models), which are kinda steep. Dunno how they're doing. They're supposedly an upgrade over the ELF (https://https://organictransit.com/). We don't hear much of them in the mainstream press

@tess there are no ev trucks. There are cars that loov like trucks if you are an alien visitor. Real trucks tan put a full sheet of plywood in the back with the tailgate up.

@tess Can confirm, would have bought an EV recently if all the ones available weren’t $55k+ luxurymobiles. I mean, sure, I want comfort, but I want basic, cheap, and durable, not fancy and expensive.

@tess they already make those; they're called trains and bikes.

@tess Exactly. We have a 2020 Bolt that almost never goes more than 2 miles one way.

@tess
nothing ever changes because you try, you say No More Cars and they say, OK, Yes, No More Cars . . . but how about THESE kinds of cars 👿
.
maybe people can't afford food
maybe people don't want to kill off the last of the Incas

@tess As someone who works in a hospital parking garage, I see so many people in big trucks worrying if they'll even be able to drive in. We have a 7 foot clearance and some people just can't get in.

At that point, they either have to valet or hope they can find a spot in the parking lot. And most of these people are elderly, so far from ideal.

Haven't seen any oversized EVs yet, just Tesla's, but compact cars just seem like the better idea in general.

@tess
I hear you, but I bought my EVs for work & personally love the size of my #Rivian SUV & truck & I can travel across country in both without having to fly

Our farmers use their TeslaX for towing the trailer they use daily to pick up upcycled produce for the animals

Not everyone is looking for or feels safe in a small EV

@tess … maybe it’s because an egomaniac CEO is holding his company hostage for a truely outrageous compensation package, while he treats his employees like shit. Cutbacks are on the horizon. So much for his egalitarian persona. I wouldn’t buy one for that very reason.

@tess
Back in the 90s I had a job writing real-estate ads.
One builder made mid-grade homes of a reasonable size and sold sold sold.
All the other builders made giant houses packed with features and struggled.
Maybe (IIRC) 30% of the housing was aimed at the richest 5% of buyers.
"Why?" I asked a co-worker. "Why aren't they making the smaller houses that sell fast?"
"Bigger houses are more fun to build," she replied.

@tess or that you are an outright traitor and fascist

@tess yes. Give me the equivalent of an ebike that will keep me warm in the winter, that's all I need for 99% of my driving.

@tess @tchambers Nissan leaf? Nissan leaf.

@tess couldn’t have said this better. I want a compact EV w/ maybe 250 to 400 km range. If I need a larger car maybe once or twice a year, I can rent one from Sixt.

@tess I yearn for the Honda e

@tess Absolutely. As someone who is not often driving much more than an hour a week, I feel torn. I support the idea of EVs but for what one costs the upgrade currently makes absolutely no financial sense for me.

@tess 👍🏼

@tess True. For a sketch of how those compact EVs may be and why, please see these thoughts of mine:

https://mfioretti.substack.com/p/how-cars-are-dying-why-and-what-comes

Feeback very welcome, of course.

@tess it is easier to add a ton of batteries to a big vehicle than a small vehicle. I am waiting for an EV in the size of a Honda Civic with a 60 mile range. It doesn’t have to circumnavigate the globe on one charge.

@tess
And maybe also cos you're running a Nazi-site as a side-hustle.

@tess yep. my 'favorite' article was about the multitude of issues with a new EV a purchasing reviewer had.

The "The brake system has lost connection with the radio" just boggles the mind in excess complexity absolutely not needed for a car. Closely followed by the driver's window switch having lost connection to the car network.

EV Corollas, Fits n Civics will sell like hot cakes...yet they build $60K 'family' sedan/suvs instead.

@tess the beauty of EV technology, though, is that it’s adaptable to ALL kinds of vehicles. People will always want their trucks - but at least they can do it in a more sustainable way.

@tess

The bigger the EV the better. We aren't all single. Love me hate me idc

@tess@mastodon.social

@tess

The bigger the EV the better. We aren't all single. Love me hate me idc

@tess They’re making ones that aren’t luxury sedans and giant fucking trucks. They’re just not making them for the U.S. market. The rest of the world gets them, but we can’t buy them, not at any price, here because they’re not FMVSS certified.

@tess@mastodon.social

> But our shareholders want our stock price rising 😩

@tess @lisamelton Was just looking at current EVs — the irony is that those big ones still don’t actually have the benefits of size, such as room for a big family or cargo space. 🤦🏻‍♂️

@tess we have two EVs… okay, they’re cargo e-bikes - and I’d still go for one of these in a hot minute:

@tess Just get a bike or a scooter.

@ tess
I can predict the future … A company like BYD comes in to address the underserved mass market for more affordable EVs and instantly the current manufacturers cry foul.

@tess THANK YOU! I keep shouting the same thing.

I 100% resent the existence of Tesla at this point because their continued success/attention discourages other automakers from moving beyond the high-profit-margin luxury space.

I do think making *regular-looking* EV trucks that can also power construction tools / camping gear would help adoption, but only because the US is obsessed with trucks overall.

@tess This. I’m very much in the market, but not interested in big cars. Renault Zoë, VW ID.3, and new Citroen e C3 are pretty much the only ones that feel relevant. And even from that list ID.3 is overdone and thus too pricey for my needs.

@tess every time I get tempted, I ask my payments calculator for the monthly payment on a 70k loan and then nope out - the Dacia Spring EV at 20k is more my speed; too bad it is EU only atm afaict.

@tess r'amen! I'm so annoyed that VW decided the perfectly sized ID-3 is not sold in the US. I really don't need anything bigger, more expensive, and less efficient. Somehow the US car industry is convinced only big cars will sell here - but this is the same industry that in the early 2000s said electric cars would never sell here, took back all the EV1 cars and crushed them.