this post was submitted on 24 Jun 2024
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I feel like most people have a feeling one way or another on this topic because it has become quite political, but the facts are the facts. Most new electric vehicle plants in the US are only working at most 50% capacity due to lack of customer demand. People can blame lack of parts and lack of workers, but one thing I know about this industry is that if people want them then they are going to keep building them regardless of circumstance.
Most people can't afford new cars, let alone new cars priced way above average.
Here's my perspective, but it might be pretty wrong:
I think the reason for the low demand is due in large part to the pre-existing gas industry, at least in the US. Not just because of marketing advertising gas-powered more, but also because people don't like to change, and buying a new car is not cheap. Not to mention that the US infrastructure is so heavily solidified in gas. It's just easier to continue buying gas-powered because it's already so supported across the country. Then the industry benefits from this because they can say, "oh, huh, looks like people still want gas-powered! ยฏ\_(ใ)_/ยฏ" and so the cycle repeats.
I think a lot of people don't really understand how much power corporations really have over what the people do or don't do, like or don't like, etc.. 99% of the time people will take the easy option, and corps take advantage of that by making the easy option the cheapest and best for themselves instead of what's best for the people. Corporations only do what's right for them, and are masters of making it out to be that that's what the people want.
True. And the nepo-babies that lead these corporations are making millions off dollars each year simply by showing up to work.
Switching over to electric vehicles is inevitable. But who's going to do that work and take that risk? What if they screw up? Ain't no nepo-baby gonna screw up that cash cow. They're going to continue showing up to work every day, sucking up the income and when the end of gasoline happens, they'll throw up their hands and say, "No one could have seen that coming."
(To be fair, it's not just management. There are tons of people at every level who don't want to risk losing their job with an uncertain outcome over just showing up to work every day and doing the same job they already know. But it's the "leadership's" job to do that anyway for the long-term health of the company.)
Similarly how plastic pollution is 99% made by companies. So we banned plastic straws.
That's the equivalent of yelling at me to turn the ceiling lights off to save power, but you have the AC running 24/7 and all the windows are open.
I hate it.
At least one of the big 3 isn't meeting production demand due to battery assembly. Long series of management and integrator fuck ups where their solution seems to be just throw more engineers at it. Can't build EVs if they can't build batteries.
I would love an electric vehicle.
But we have two gasoline cars completely paid off and I can't imagine adding a car payment (or two) just to go electric. I'm more concerned with continuing to afford food and shelter.
If I could just magically swap them out I would.