We need an EV equivalent of the Toyota Corolla and the Ford Explorer, and we need you and your mom to buy them. But if we repeat the mistakes and failures that led to economic catastrophe in Detroit and Pittsburgh over the past 50 years, the price we pay will be far greater than the savings we reap from the cute, cheap, green cars.
The Corolla of EV exists. It's called the CHEVY Bolt. I bought one in October. Listed at $29K, the drive out of the lot was $36K, minus the $7.5K I got back on my taxes, Final price: $28.5K. I am very happy with it, I fill it up for $8 at my work twice a month, and for even less at my house (GM pays for the installation of a charger at your home)
I think it definitely makes sense to prevent China from dumping cheap EVs on us like they're 80s Japan, but what's the long term solution to the cost gap? It costs GM $100k to make one EV, and sales in the US are slowing even with the IRA subsidies. (https://www.reuters.com/business/autos-transportation/ev-sector-grapples-with-layoffs-production-cuts-altered-plans-2024-02-22/). If everyone needs to buy EVs eventually, how can we compete with China, Germany, or others if we can't get our products off the ground for a reasonable price. Do we just keep subsidizing?
I thought this thread was a really great explainer for why that $100k figure might not be so accurate. https://x.com/davidfickling/status/1789085553084002520. But I think the goal is to build a robust, competitive, and resilient EV supply chain so that subsidies aren't needed long term. But we probably need to nail down on the definition of "long."
The Corolla of EV exists. It's called the CHEVY Bolt. I bought one in October. Listed at $29K, the drive out of the lot was $36K, minus the $7.5K I got back on my taxes, Final price: $28.5K. I am very happy with it, I fill it up for $8 at my work twice a month, and for even less at my house (GM pays for the installation of a charger at your home)
I think it definitely makes sense to prevent China from dumping cheap EVs on us like they're 80s Japan, but what's the long term solution to the cost gap? It costs GM $100k to make one EV, and sales in the US are slowing even with the IRA subsidies. (https://www.reuters.com/business/autos-transportation/ev-sector-grapples-with-layoffs-production-cuts-altered-plans-2024-02-22/). If everyone needs to buy EVs eventually, how can we compete with China, Germany, or others if we can't get our products off the ground for a reasonable price. Do we just keep subsidizing?
I thought this thread was a really great explainer for why that $100k figure might not be so accurate. https://x.com/davidfickling/status/1789085553084002520. But I think the goal is to build a robust, competitive, and resilient EV supply chain so that subsidies aren't needed long term. But we probably need to nail down on the definition of "long."