I've been 100% bike for all my adult life 20 years long, half of it commuting, half remote work, groceries up to 20kg (I carry crates on my handlebar), rain is annoying, but it's like people on motorbike, with proper clothes it's fine, but it's indeed less easy than a personal car. but not so much about natural elements, more because the cities are built for cars
or trucks and buses, as a cyclist the difference is even worse, but speed regulation really helps for that fear
I've no need for it myself, we just charge at regular old 32A from a 14-50 wall socket, but it's interesting to watch the market evolve. Maybe 19.2kW will become the new normal.
I lived in Italy for a couple of years and it appears to be the case there. The most popular SUV-ish car back then, as explained to me by my Italian friend, was the Qashqai. Anything larger is just awkward.
Also for cars they often shop local, because Italian brands know their customers well and offer vehicles which out of context are just plain weird, like the 4x4 Fiat Panda.
There's still a lot of congestion, but smaller cars manage it better because you can squeeze three of them in two lanes on intersections if need be.
Also with few SUVs on the road you see many more other modes like scooters and even Tuk-Tuks.
People drive pickups to the office. Laptops must be a heavier load than I remember.
Ford won't even sell anything smaller than a compact SUV in North America.
Even discounting electric cars, imagine the environmental savings that could have been made if subcompacts became the norm instead?
Did they stop selling the focus? It’s among one of the best selling vehicles of all time.
It's easier to meet US fuel efficiency standards with larger cars. There's ramps on the standards, so small cars are disappearing; small trucks are already gone.
An 80s s-10 or similar with a regular cab and small engine is low weight, fairly small footprint, decent mpg, etc. A 2020 small truck built in the same footprint, but with a 40 year newer drivetrain would be pretty useful, but nobody will sell those in the US. Yes, you couldn't fit more than two people comfortably and three if you squeeze; yes, you couldn't (or shouldn't) tow anyhthing of stature; but it would be great for people who need an ocassional truck for furniture or dirt or etc, and don't need people carrying capacity. Light pickup truck hybrid could sip gas, and stuff the batteries under the bed for plug-in range, and also keep weight on the rear.
Kei trucks look fun too, but hard to import them.
Because we have a free market and that's what people buy. Unless you think you can gain enough political advantage to force people to bend to your will, persuasion is probably the best strategy. The top three vehicles by sales in the US are all light duty trucks, so to a rough approximation the people you need to convince are "everybody."
https://www.hotcars.com/heres-how-to-write-off-mercedes-g-wa...
Homeowners will need a large vehicle with some regularity. Doubly so if you have kids. For people without the money to have multiple cars laying around, it makes sense to buy the one most useful vehicle - an SUV.