Electric Vehicle....

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jakeman

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When I was in college, I remember reading about a study done by government concerning usage of the then new
"horseless carriages". The study concluded that automobiles were a fad. The White House, it was decided, would get to keep its horse stables for a few more years. FWIW, in 1908 or so, the sheriff in OKC still got around by horse and buggy, deciding that automobiles were too unreliable. The naysayers always say, "nay", but it is clear that the writing is on the wall for ICE. Like it or not, EV's are the future.

And, until fuel was available within driving distance of where a car owner lived, the study was "somewhat" correct. It changed. It will change with electric powered cars as well, but right now, I'd say they were practical for about 10% of the population. Maybe slightly more. I'm almost 60. I doubt I live to see EV's become the norm for over 20% of the driving public.

I don't know that I would call them a "fad". Pet Rocks were fads. EV are more of a novelty; currently. I've no doubt that will change, but it won't be in my life time.
 

Backstrap

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I bet you'll love your Rivian. They have their Corp office and two other buildings in my sales territory in Irvine, CA. I see their trucks and SUVs all the time in my area. They are a really good looking vehicle. In my area there is an old Marine base that is being converted into a community, huge park area, sports fields, etc. Some of the runways are still in tact. Last month I watched Rivian doing some testing. Some testing was the 0-60 times and it was incredible how quick the truck is. I think you made a good choice in EV.

Thanks. I’ve done a lot of research on Rivian - they’re doing things right. They have extensively tested these vehicles and have made numerous design changes based on their testing under real-world conditions, not just in a lab or a computer simulation. I can’t wait until Doug DeMuro or another independent tester gets their hands on one for an objective review.
 

SoonerP226

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How much of this "success" these EV's are having is due to federal subsidies?
Tesla is about to find out. They're coming up on the sales totals where the Federal teat starts to run dry. IIRC, their vehicles have already been eligible for less money than those from other automakers for one or two years now.

Of course, when most people are just looking at that monthly payment rather than the actual cost, that subsidy might not mean as much as it did.
 

ConstitutionCowboy

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If you could knock $7500 off a new truck after negotiating a purchase price, wouldn't you consider it?

No. Subsidies means the rest of the people in this country are footing the bill for that $7,500.00. It's the government picking winners at the expense of the rest of us. Obviously, these subsidized vehicles won't sell without those subsidies. The free market is sidestepped. I guess free enterprise is dead.

Woody
 

SoonerP226

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Well, since the federal subsidies for both the Chevy Bolt and all Tesla vehicles ended last year, their success since then has not been due in any way to the subsidies.
You can't really say that, though. Their continued success may not be because of the subsidies, but it has to be considered as a factor in getting to that success.

I will say that I know someone who bought a Volt (or maybe a Bolt, I forget) because all the subsidies and rebates got him into a brand new car for under $20K--and he could pay cash for pretty much any car he wants.
 

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Their continued success may not be because of the subsidies, but it has to be considered as a factor in getting to that success.

Same thing as I said - their success since the subsidies ended cannot in any way be related to the subsidies - because they ended. There are many factors that led to their success at this time, I agree that historical subsidies are one.
 

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