EV sales slowdown is mostly a Tesla problem, according to sales data
EV sales slowdown is mostly a Tesla problem, according to sales data
Almost every other automaker is seeing double-digit EV sales growth.
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EV sale are slumping more because of cost to buy than anything else. The great unwashed masses, like you and me, simply can't afford to make the purchase. Even used EVs are more expensive a use ICE vehicle.
GM had it right with the Bolt. An EV with good range, 260 miles or so, and a far more affordable entry price for us commoners to swallow. It just died because the battery manufacturer screwed it up. But there is hope the Bolt comes back with GMs new Ultium battery that is supposed to be cheaper and better. They know it can be done and they can do it. And BYD could sell a lot of EVs in the same price range as a base level Bolt very easily.
I'm sure Musk knows Tesla's days are numbered. The large manufacturers are now in the process of pivoting and they will eat Tesla alive. This is why he's trying to get that big payout from the Tesla Board of Directors and has now also been caught in alleged insider trading. He's going to suck all the cash out of Tesla he can before running clear of the collapse.
We reached the dump part of the pump and dump.
It just died because the battery manufacturer screwed it up
That's debatable. They are bringing it back, and it will have the newer Ultium battery, but whether the battery recall is what did it is hard to say. They did run another model year after that happened, though I would've expected a little more after the refresh from the 2022MY.
On the other hand, the Bolt platform was released in 2016. A lot has changed since then, particularly with charging. 55kW is laughable compared to pretty much everything else on the market these days, and they may need to go back to the drawing board to update it.
Outsourced parts are almost always the fault of the supplier - and I have experience with being a tier 2 or 3 supplier.
I sure there will be a design refresh before the Bolt comes back. Yeah, 55kw charging is not all that fast anymore. But to keep costs down to entry level affordability, like less than $35,000US, corners will need to be cut and cheap tailing edge tech will probably need to be used. Otherwise, all you've done is price the largest body of buyers, (lower middle class these days), right out of the market again.
And the EV market needs those low priced cars to achieve common market penetration. If they don't design and build to that affordability price points, then EVs will simply remain toys for the wealthy.
The point about price sums it up perfectly. I have a german car from 2009, it's really solid, fun to drive, technologically exactly where I want it to be and - perhaps most importantly of all - it does not fucking spy on me.
You can get the spy part with any newer vehicle. My 2015 Jeep Patriot and Dodge Ram pickup can both be hacked to the point of the driver no longer having control of the vehicle. It's been proven and actually done. Maybe your German car is old enough, maybe it isn't. But the spying is everywhere now.
It's not so much hackers I'm afraid of, but rather the invasive spying done by modern cars. Mine is old enough to not have any of that, but new enough to have all the things I do want to have.
They can do it now as it is. Even ICE vehicles can track your acceleration, braking, speed, and even lane weaving, (and yes it can/could affect your insurance rates). There are a few that do so now. They have 'Black boxes' like airplanes that can have data accessed in real time if it's wanted. The tech is simple and cheap and it's been around for a while.