I'm going to be polite as possible. Sorry, but "minimalism" is not a new car that requires a entire re-vamping of electrical grids and infrastructures to be adopted en mass to be workable. You want "minimalism," then walk, ride a bike, or take a bus. If you must have a vehicle, buy a 10-20 year old Camry or Civic with low miles. You'll get another 20 years of low cost reliability with minimal environmental footprint, waste, and maintenance.
Nope. Nationwide adoption of about 4%, almost entirely heavily represented in a unique weather and economic "climate" of California. Excellent weather, and extremely wealthy toys for the elite class who - trust me are NOT minimalistic. Impractical at best. EV ownership is generally car number 2 thru 5. The rest of the nation ranges from about 0% to 2% adoption.
False. EV battery realistic lifespan is about a decade. Advertised at 15 years, batteries never meet optimistic advertised goals. Costs something like $10k to replace. Sure they might improve and come down in cost. But as it stands now the first battery replacement will meet or exceed the value of the car at year 10-15. Technology, unlike mechanical devices, is easier to build in obsolescence. After year X companies stop supporting updates etc. and tech becomes obsolete and unworkable. How many old cell phones and laptops do you keep, versus disposable and getting new? Exactly. Not many or none.
Idealistic. None of that will happen. There will be incentives to make cars that last only beyond warranties and battery life spans to keep new buyers coming. Example: Current auto makers know exactly how to make plastics and "leather seats" last only beyond a certain age, and then fail. It's planned obsolescence but much easier with EVs than mechanical vehicles that people can actually fix and keep on the roads.
That's not really supported by reality, if you examine the consumer debt, perpetual auto loans, leases, renting of apartments and houses, etc. American consumers make really poor economic decisions in general, and often rent/lease, or take on loans (they generally cannot afford or are economically unsound).
That is not the model for auto makers who profit in selling vehicles. Auto makers (and appliance makers) learned long ago to make things only good enough to last thru warranty periods and slightly beyond. Also, when things break it keeps their mechanics perpetually employed as well. They also benefit from model updates. No chance this changes IMO.
Almost entirely speculative, FYI. No rational basis for it. May as well be Tulips or fly-by-night crypto.
A rebate that will not last indefinitely and probably go away with broader EV adoption. Also, you could buy a 2010 Civic or Camry for $5-10,000 and be far, far ahead of the cost analysis vs. a $30,000 EV.
I've run the numbers, and it's fictional to believe EVs are cheaper in the long run than ICE. But it depends heavily on many variables so it is not that simple. E.G. at about year 10, plan on a $10k battery for a EV. How about special chargers at a home? How about most people don't own homes with garages so where do apartment dwellers or similar charge their EVs? Did you factor these and other variables in?
No lack of depreciation for EVs. In fact, members on this forum have reported EVs flooding the used market lots and significant depreciation. Many dealers will not take EVs. And a recent study in CA concluded that 1 in 5 EV owners went back to ICE for a host of reasons including costs, convenience, reliability, affordability, repair costs, etc.
In sum, the EV fantasy is just that. It's a delusion. These are toys for wealthy people who own multiple vehicles, or generally have very untraditional unique lifestyles and wealth that the common American does not enjoy. Americas grids and infrastructure, and the battery technology, are decades and trillions of dollars away from being able to adopt widespread EVs. If left to FAIR MARKET competition (e.g. no rebates, no tax incentives, laws banning ICE, thumbs on the scales against ICE in favor of EVs etc.) broad adoption of EVs would be unable to compete for probably another few decades.
You want to be environmentally friendly and minimalist, go buy a well maintained low mileage car from the early 2000s. Take care of it. It'll be on the roads until 2040. That is the most environmentally sound and minimalist behavior for a car owner. Or ride a bike or walk or take public transit.
