For the record its not like the manufacturers didn’t try to make EV cars. Ford had the Focus Electric in 2011 with a range of 76 miles it sold 8 of them that year and had sales that peaked in 2014 with 1,964 sold during the 2011-2018 production run. The Chevy Bolt didn’t come out until 2017 but (despite recalls) has…

FTFY

Range over speed should absolutely be the orientation of designers. After all, if we want to slow battery degradation, more range = more time between charges, etc.

The problem isn’t the automakers. The problem is the consumers. They refuse to buy on the basis of need vs. want. I own a Bolt. It’s a great car. They don’t sell well because the idiot car buyer can’t get beyond “duuuuuhhhh, I need big ass thing to haul my groceries in and maybe tow twice in my life.”  Automakers…

Or when was the last time instant torque wasn’t a part of the sales pitch for EVs? I would take range over speed any day. I guess I just want to know where the small, not fast cars went?

People act like everyone is rich. These people buying $100k EVs make up the tiniest percentage of people that exist in the US.  Most people arent buying brand new cars and buy used.  The majority are the most underrepresented people out there and if they made smaller EVs people would buy them.  

Doesn’t matter if we use plutonium to power cars one day. Cars are very often a status symbol, and as such you will get ostentatious monsters to satisfy the buyers with the deep pockets. The only way to stop this is to require all EVs to look like priuses no matter the size lol

Welcome to, I don’t know, what LITERALLY EVERYONE ELSE HAS BEEN SAYING FOR A DECADE. Electric cars are great, but the introduce as many problems as they solve. We need to stop ignoring those issues in our quest to transition everyone and everything to electric. Hiding or glossing over problems isn’t the way to gain…

I agree with this in theory, but EVs are expensive. If you need one vehicle to replace them all, an SUV that can fit the whole family makes more sense than a small car.

There is more profit in larger vehicles. That’s the start. And buyers are willing to put up 40% more in price to get 60-90% more in carrying capacity.

Why do people keep assuming that acceleration limits range? Electric motors aren’t like gas motors. You don’t lose economy from going for a bigger motor. There’s very little cost to overpowering an electric car compared to a gas car, which is why automakers are making EVs powerful. 

Uh...

“At least you’ll know there are others wondering why modern EVs are so needlessly big, heavy and dangerously fast.”

GOD. THIS.

Smaller and less expensive EVs are coming, just look at the future product lineups of most major OEMs. Many led with the big behemoths to try and change the perception of EVs as being weak little shitboxes.

You can’t have it both ways. A Silverado that weighs 8000 lbs? Given the GVW and capabilities of the ICE powered Silverado, where did the surprise part come in that the amount of batteries needed to match the ICE performance makes the vehicle heavy? It’s elementary.

If you reduce the weight of an EV to the same weight as its ICE model, it would have a range of 30 miles. Who the fuck would buy an EV or ICE car with a range of 30 miles?

I don't mind if someone wants to buy a EV just don't force it on us who don't want a EV. I live in a rural area. There are no charging stations in the county I live in. We get very cold in winter and from what I have heard from EV owners that they don't really like very cold weather(-25 to -55).

So in other words, Americans be American-ing? The nice thing about these behemoths is that the batteries can be repurposed in a few years and the rare earths in the motors can be recycled.

Thank high ranking politicians and high paid execs. https://arstechnica.com/science/2023/01/so-long-richard-shelby-and-thanks-for-all-the-pork/