The Tesla broke usual electric car strategy by making something hot not utterly lame and stodgy[1]. Which is what all electric cars were until then. The economics of that actually worked.
The Prius at least fit into Toyota's market segment.
[1] This is not totally true. There were some once off electric cars in the 1990's that were sporty. Friend dated a women that owned one. It only had a range of about 40-50 miles but it was FAST.
I wish other car companies would create more compelling and somewhat affordable electric cars.
At least in the US, the only two cars I can think of (besides the Model 3, which is hard to come by) that move the needle at all are the Nissan Leaf and Chevy Bolt, both of which look... not great.
Why don't any other car companies offer a 'standard' mid size or compact sedan that's fully electric? Just take an existing decent car like a Toyota Corolla, Honda Civic, etc. and redesign it electric? I know it's a different drivetrain/architecture, but why not a standard looking body instead of some weird buggy space-age thing?
I would like to buy an electric car. Small (flat/low drag), no useless electrical consumers (no power steering, always-online, TV, coffee machine, ...). As a second car, obviously, for the weeked joyride. I can reach work by bike effortlessly.
But all that is being built is all SUV, SUV, and more SUVs.
Maybe, one day. Miata electric? Will probably be full of electronic toys. Electric Boxter/Cayman? Useless fluffy interior. Also, probably bloated electronics, too. Maybe Lotus, like the original Tesla, except with more modern battery/drive train. 2026?
Will someone please just make the Toyota Camry, Dodge Caravan, or Ford Escort of electric cars? The Prius was close, but missed the mark by being both ahead of its time and a bit too minimal for a family sedan. Make an electric vehicle that checks all the boxes of the best-selling cars, and people will buy it. And by check all the boxes, that includes affordable to the family with 2.5 kids, a mortgage, and saving for college.
They were almost the only viable electric car for a lot of use cases for a decade. Only very recently have alternatives with 300mi range that you can actually buy emerged.
What previously failed luxury electric cars were there? When I think of previously failed electric cars, I think of stuff like the EV-1, but I'm not particularly knowledgeable here.
Chevy Volt. I wouldn't necessarily say it wasn't successful, but GM is killing it, and to me the irony is that I think it is a much better option for 90% of people than an all-electric vehicle.
Yes, all-electric is the future, but right now being able to be on battery 95% of the time, but never having range anxiety because I can always get gas when needed, is wonderful. I can go on long trips and never worry about having to pre-plan where I will charge up. Also, I didn't have to do any special electrical work because I can get a full 40 mile charge overnight on 12 amps.
I think it's really a great car and due to the electric motor it's fun to drive for someone who doesn't generally like driving.
I am not into cars, but I can only assume the Lead/Volt/whatever else out there is bad quality or has some other drawback that causes them to basically be non existent on the roads.
But you're not quite nailing the reasons behind the EV versions not selling well.
The Honda Fit EV had an 82 mile range, and could only be leased. (And Honda Fits were neat, but never sold that well, and even the gas version was pulled from the United States market.)
The Golf, on the other hand, is very popular, but the Golf EV had a 125-mile range, and was only sold in very limited markets/quantities.
What EV version of a popular vehicle had competitive range, produced in sufficient quality, and priced competitively? I can't think of any.
OTOH the Prius was never an object of desire, it was more a very economic option that made a lot of sense. None of those EVs are anywhere near in the same class, but one could pop up like that.
I think it’s more likely that the market is flooded with mediocre EVs just as it’s currently flooded with mediocre gas vehicles. 2022 and 2023 have things like the f150, Honda Civic, Toyota Camry, and Ford Explorer coming out in EV variants.
My friend had one of these in the 80s. Even though it was pretty clunky, I've wanted an electric car ever since, but nothing seemed practical until the Tesla.
The Prius at least fit into Toyota's market segment.
[1] This is not totally true. There were some once off electric cars in the 1990's that were sporty. Friend dated a women that owned one. It only had a range of about 40-50 miles but it was FAST.
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