Claims that electric vehicles don’t have enough demand may be overblown.

A new study from GBK Collective, published Thursday, found that half of the more than 2,000 US car consumers they interviewed were considering either an electric or a hybrid car for their next vehicle purchase.

This far outweighs the current ownership trends found in the study. Only 14% of those surveyed already own a plug-in or hybrid vehicle of some kind. It’s another piece of evidence of a huge opportunity for EV manufacturers to home in on the needs of these green car-curious consumers.

“These are not the same kind of customers who created the initial EV market,” GBK President Jeremy Korst told Business Insider in an interview.

“These are later adopters, and because of that, they’re not as driven by innovation or even design,” Korst said. “They have more functional needs, and they’re much more pragmatic and thinking about the total cost of ownership both in price and in effort, like, ‘how do I charge so what’s that going to take? How much time is it going to take me?’”

      • Talaraine@kbin.social
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        9 months ago

        And China’s about to hit the market hard. You know, if you don’t mind them scraping your data.

          • tryptaminev 🇵🇸 🇺🇦 🇪🇺@feddit.de
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            9 months ago

            2002 called. They want their stereotypes back.

            China caught up on developing and producing quality products themselves, while many western companies lacked innovation and just payed out dividends instead of investing into the future.

            • awwwyissss@lemm.ee
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              9 months ago

              I agree their capability has increased a lot, but i seems to me like most stuff I buy thats made in China is designed to fail.

              • ricecake@sh.itjust.works
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                9 months ago

                They make a lot of stuff in general. Chances are if you’re looking at the label for country of origin it’s not because it’s working fine.

                In general, they sell a lot of stuff that breaks fast because they have a lower price floor, so if you want to make cheap garbage, you can pay less for it in China.
                If you want something perfectly decent, it’s still cheaper because of the balance of trade, but it’s not as drastic.

          • Lumilias@pawb.social
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            9 months ago

            Fun fact: Tesla isn’t the biggest EV maker in the world. BYD is. Americans haven’t heard of them because Trump’s 25% import tariff on Chinese EVs made them untenable to import.

            American automotive companies are scared shitless of companies like BYD because they can come in like Toyota & Honda did in the 1980s and sell an EV sedan at a cheaper price than any American automaker can.

            Elon even admitted it today: https://www.foxbusiness.com/fox-news-global-economy/elon-musk-says-chinese-ev-companies-will-demolish-competition-without-tariffs

    • neidu2@feddit.nl
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      9 months ago

      When the roadster came out I wanted one, but I wanted to see how the brand fared in general for a few years first. Plus I couldn’t really afford to upgrade my 1995 volvo.

      When the model S was released I wanted one. It seemed practical, but it still wasn’t affordable for me to replace my old 1995 volvo.

      When 3 was released I didn’t really care, because it seemed like a downgraded S.

      When X (the car) was released I wanted one because m It seemed to be exactly what I needed.

      But then:
      Stories with quality control issues with Tesla becme more and more frequent.
      EM proved himself to be a complete asshat (I had my suspicions, so I wasn’t that surprised when he went mask off)
      Autopilot turned out to be a scam
      Relying on rental cars at work made me realize how much I hate touch screens.

      So, I’m still driving my 1995 volvo 940. It will be replaced in march by a 2019 volvo xc90. I see the benefit in hybrid, but fuck tesla.

        • neidu2@feddit.nl
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          9 months ago

          Because I have four kids, so I need that big of a car to fit the entire household. If it wasn’t for that I would probably drive my jurassic era car for another decade.

  • doggle@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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    9 months ago

    I’ll happily drive an ev if

    • it is affordable
    • it doesn’t require an online account and app to work correctly
    • it isn’t an enormous truck/SUV
    • it isn’t fucking hideous
    • I don’t have to support Elon Musk

    Too bad nobody’s making one of those.

    • Psythik@lemmy.world
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      9 months ago

      All I want is a sporty convertable EV that looks attractive and has 350+ HP for under $30K.

      Oh and find some excuse to put a manual transmission on it – or at least flappy paddles – without it being a gimmick (edit: like CVTs with their fake manual mode; fuck that noise). Then I’m sold.

      • NιƙƙιDιɱҽʂ@lemmy.world
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        9 months ago

        There’s no such thing as a manual transmission with an EV though…? The purpose of a transmission is to make best use of the power band of a combustion engine, an issue that EVs don’t suffer as they are able to provide maximum torque at zero RPM. At the end of the day, all you’re ever gonna get is some gimmicky fake manual mode.

        • Psythik@lemmy.world
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          9 months ago

          Fine I can do without shifting. (TBH I don’t miss it that much anyway in EVs since the instant torque makes up for it.) Just give me my pocket-sized roadster EV, please.

          • NιƙƙιDιɱҽʂ@lemmy.world
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            9 months ago

            Fair enough! But yeah, definitely let me know when there’s an EV that meets your other criteria, I’ll be right there in line with you to get one, haha

      • Beefalo@midwest.social
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        9 months ago
        • If the charging infrastructure is as universal and as reliable as gas stations, so whenever the landlords want to make sure all the parking stalls have at least Level 1 charging

        • What about better public transport, I’m ready to stop putting money into an “asset” that depreciates at $300 per month, while the debt jacks up interest fuck me the depreciation on a car makes the interest look like a reasonable tip to your server

        • And yeah, twice, the batteries should be swappable, they can be semi-permanent but assume a 2-year replacement time with a standardized installation, fuck paying $45,000 for a really fast cellphone that stops working when the battery does and replacing the battery means ripping the glue apart and the car is never right again. They have to be AT LEAST as swappable as engines.

  • blazera@kbin.social
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    9 months ago

    Everytime ev’s come up everyone’s a fur trapper in the himalayas that needs to make pilgrimage over 500 miles every other day.

    • Longpork2@lemmy.nz
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      9 months ago

      It’s not that you need 500km every day, it’s that you need 500km often enough to make the average affordable ev with a 150km range impractical. Until there is a reliable charging infrastructure in place, people need a vehicle that can accommodate their longest trip, not their average trip.

        • Longpork2@lemmy.nz
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          9 months ago

          Yes, we definitely need more trains, but the average person isn’t really in a position to build a rail network, so using the infrastructure currently available, cars are a necessity for most travel.

      • HollandJim@lemmy.world
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        9 months ago

        150km is the unreasonable part. The AVERAGE affordable EV, especially not Tesla, will easily do 250-300km on a charge. My ID.3 does 340km on a full charge (100% to ~10%) and I’m spending a third on “fuel” per month vs the Fiesta, even though I can’t charge at home.

        Btw, I also don’t think twice about driving from Amsterdam to Disneyland Paris 2-3 times a year - that’s 550km each way easily. 2-3 charges, every 2-ish hours, depending on the season and Paris traffic.

        People are just afraid to change. Right now, some cars get excellent deals to get sold. Once everyone starts wanting these, kiss those deals g’bye.

  • iesou@lemm.ee
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    9 months ago

    Dealerships also have a party to play in tanking overall sales of EVs with the direction Tesla took and for is trying to take, cutting out dealerships all together.

  • KᑌᔕᕼIᗩ@lemmy.ml
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    9 months ago

    Just make them as cheap and reliable as the dinosaur guzzlers and I’ll happily buy and drive one. Especially if you can get that second hand.

  • LemmyIsFantastic@lemmy.world
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    9 months ago

    Not going to get much cheaper.

    Toyota is correct. BEV, PHEV, and ICE will all be in our future until at a bare minimum charging it’s figured out. Prices need to come down as well.

    • JohnDClay@sh.itjust.works
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      9 months ago

      I don’t see how PHEVs will come down in cost of ownership at all, the fuel is extremely expensive and the cars aren’t cheap either. I don’t see it making sense at all.

      • LemmyIsFantastic@lemmy.world
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        9 months ago

        Batteries are expensive. And they ain’t getting cheaper. Manufacturing is already difficult with supply chain challenges. And we’re not even close to having everyone replace ICE.

        Unless the new sodium batteries take off they are never going get to that point where BEV beats ICE everyone has been taking about four a few years.

        By having a PHEV you reduce the dependence on rare earth materials while still giving everyone enough range to get around day to day. Go on a long trip? Range issues gone. The only real challenge is the upfront cost as well, but that doesn’t scale nearly as poorly. Prices will not rise as much if we push for greater market saturation of the PHEV category. The dependence on rare materials goes away making it easier for everyone to get one. A minor increase in maintenance is a small price for a vehicle that does everything they need better.

        • JohnDClay@sh.itjust.works
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          9 months ago

          Where are you getting ‘they aren’t getting cheaper’ from?

          Battery price over time

          Hydrogen seems to be going in the wrong direction.

          Hydrogen cost per mile

          And there aren’t exactly a ton of fueling stations either.

          Stations over time

          And that’s compared to about 90k electric chargers in California.

          • LemmyIsFantastic@lemmy.world
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            9 months ago

            See those flat lines towards the end? I’ll bet $1000 to charity that in 5 years is going the direction. We’ve hit a point where supply is not likely going to meet demand at all.

  • southsamurai@sh.itjust.works
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    9 months ago

    Fuck, I’d love to make my next car hybrid or electric, but I sure as fuck can’t afford one, even used currently.

    Tax breaks don’t do shit for someone on disability, so I’m fucked in that regard.

  • thisbenzingring@lemmy.sdf.org
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    9 months ago

    I have seriously considered an EV and will probably get one in the next few years but my biggest problem with them is that all of them have huge fucking tablet screens. I want a EV that has physical buttons and if you are going to use digital screens, I want it in the same layout as the traditional style. IF I have to have a tablet screen, I want it to be minimal.

    I don’t want to have to use a menu to turn on the fucking windshield wipers!

    • havocpants@lemm.ee
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      9 months ago

      I have an EV, it has physical controls on stalks in the same place as a regular car for the indicators, windscreen wipers, lights, etc. You only need to use the tablet for climate controls and nav/music - all of which can be voice activated.

      • thisbenzingring@lemmy.sdf.org
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        9 months ago

        which EV do you have? The wiper example is just the Tesla, and I wouldn’t buy that anyways. I’d consider it if they ousted Musk

        • send_me_your_ink@lemmynsfw.com
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          9 months ago

          Not op but I have an ioniq 5. Controlls for where they should be on the steering wheel, buttons (or dedicated ir “buttons” for temp, defrost, etc). And buttons to trigger important menus in the screen.

        • Kage520@lemmy.world
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          9 months ago

          Tesla you press the button on the left stalk to make wipers move once, which also brings up the wiper menu on the screen to keep them on. I want more physical buttons too but it’s not terrible this way.

          • tocopherol@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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            9 months ago

            How about this: one press, one swipe, tap a few times and it continues relative to the rate you tap it. Perfect, no stupid tablet menu necessary.

    • Nugget@lemm.ee
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      9 months ago

      Agreed completely. We love our Bolt because it’s a regular car interior with an EV engine

    • pageflight@lemmy.world
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      9 months ago

      Volvo XC40 Recharge has buttons for most things (volume, wipers, defrost, …) though climate is on the touchscreen which is annoying. Navigation on the touchscreen is nice. The software is a bit glitchy, though the car itself is very nice.

      But I strongly agree: searching for buttons was a big part of our car search.

    • Narauko@lemmy.world
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      9 months ago

      My first-gen Chevy Volt has all the buttons. And I mean ALL the buttons. I’d say it has too many buttons, but it’s a particular quirkiness that I kind of like; the future as imagined in the '90s. Very Star Trek TNG shuttle craft aesthetic.

  • bitwolf@lemmy.one
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    9 months ago

    Theres also the fact that they’re all cloud connected now.

    I was very eager to buy a non-Tesla EV but now they’re all following the same playbook.

  • Empricorn@feddit.nl
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    9 months ago

    “Bad press”? If they mean Teslas, sure; they’re garbage. But I just want an EV that’s affordable.

  • 0110010001100010@lemmy.world
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    9 months ago

    Honestly, I would kill for an EV. I’m ready to setup the charging station already since I have a 240v 50a run in my garage. I even do electrical work and could install it myself.

    As the article notes though, it’s way too expensive for me to consider at the moment. I drive maybe 100 miles a week but it’s usually a lot less so I would be a perfect candidate.

    However, a $7k or less older ICE vehicle does what I need. I can buy a fuck-ton of gas for $43k… Including the added maintenance. I’m also hesitant to buy an older EV due to battery deterioration and not knowing if I will have to pay a ton to replace the batteries.

    • Coreidan@lemmy.world
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      9 months ago

      Honestly, I would kill for an EV

      Why because it’s the new shiny? I bet you buy the new iPhone every year.

      However, a $7k or less older ICE vehicle does what I need.

      Right but you gotta have the new shiny right?

      FOMO?

      • jaycifer@kbin.social
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        9 months ago

        EVs being new and shiny, as well as that being the only reason they want one, are things you inserted into your comment, not something the person you responded to even implied.

  • ctkatz@lemmy.ml
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    9 months ago

    I go on road trips for vacation. like 700+ miles in the day road trips. I wouldn’t consider an ev right now because I have range anxiety and charging stations aren’t as ubiquitous in the rural areas. if you stuck charge stations at every rest area on the interstates (the ones some states haven’t closed yet), I dunno maybe but there are still big stretches of land out there that aren’t close to an interstate let alone a rest area.

    give me an ev that can go 700 miles in 12 hours and I might consider it.

    • sbv@sh.itjust.works
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      9 months ago

      If you take one or two vacations a year, rent an ICE for the trip.

      Our last car was 12 years old and we did a 2,800km trip in a rental because we didn’t want to run the risk of breakdown in the middle of nowhere.