In their defense, most EV versions of gasoline cars haven't sold particularly well (remember the Honda Fit EV, anyone?)
The EVs that ended up selling well ultimately were Tesla vehicles, which were closer to this thing than an electric Camry.
The EVs that ended up selling well ultimately were Tesla vehicles, which were closer to this thing than an electric Camry.
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.
But yes, these are exceptions.
You'd think "Not everyone needs a car that can do long trips, so an EV that trades range for affordability is just satisfying a market segment!", and you'd be right...if consumers were rational.
Range anxiety is one of the top hurdles for EV adoption. Manufacturers that produce cars with only ~100 mile range, that only support charging at <20 kW only perpetuate the mentality that EVs don't have the range to be viable for anything other than commuting.
People who aren't EV enthusiasts and don't follow car or tech news specifically are likely to miss the memo that not only do long-range EVs exist, but they can be charged FAST. Obviously, they still don't charge as fast as a gas tank can be filled, but fast enough that day trips are quite viable, and road trips only require a little extra planning.
But that's all under the skin. The styling and interiors can look as mundane or wild as the maker chooses.
Perhaps. But the Leaf alone is a significant counterpoint to that. Contrast with the abject market failure of the electric-from-the-ground-up i3.
It just means that not everyone has the same taste, and some peoples' tastes are in a minority, even if they don't know it.
This is, in fact, the case.
If Audi launches electric A4/A6/A8 tomorrow, that will be (roughly) 100% of their sales and they know it.
But they have billions sunk into ... (see my comment downthread about manufacturing and tooling).
So consumers need to wait for their lifetime ROI to satisfy the incumbent manufacturers such that they are willing to jettison those investments and electrify their actual lineup.
The worst offender, by far, is Volvo whose marketing pedigree, target audience and models produces are a perfect match for 21st century electric car buyers ... and yet we're two full model cycles past the Tesla Model S and I still can't get an electric V90 wagon ...