EV sales slowdown is mostly a Tesla problem, according to sales data

Xatolos@reddthat.com to News@lemmy.world – 355 points –
EV sales slowdown is mostly a Tesla problem, according to sales data
arstechnica.com
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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.

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.

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