A combination of higher interest rates, traditional automakers fielding some good EV options in mass, and Elon’s personal instability seem to all be hitting at once to get towards a more reasonable valuation.
Rivian looks like it might pop.
Really would love there to be some alternatives of good EVs that aren’t tied to stealerships.
new Toyota EV = wheels falling off, battery overheating and not able to charge to 100% new VW EVs = large panel gaps
> processes new VW EVs = if you are lucky with your firmware version, to update the car via OTA you have to leave your car dealer's service center; dealers still a pain in the ass for both VW and customers GM EVs = just don't produce them because of parts shortage
I don't believe their expertise helps, it was the slow iterative upgrade path that created this myth. As soon as the OEMs need to create a new product, they encounter the same problems that Tesla was criticised for and eventually solved.
> It just is not that hard to build a decent EV anymore.
There are lots of low-hanging fruits for EV efficiency and production that traditional manufacturers are slow on adopting. Like single-piece rear casting (IDRA Gigapress, etc.)
It’s unlikely these car makers wouldn’t fix these quality control issues after that. By comparison Tesla quality is abysmal and took many years to improve to meet other car makers. It’s hard to stand up large car factories for the first time alongside a new car model.
EVs share probably 90% of the non engine parts with other cars. The big components which are different are the drivetrain (simpler), motors, battery and charging equipment. Motors are a commodity and far simpler to manufacture than ICEs. Batteries are the difficult component right now but will likely become more if a commodity as well. EVs are much easier to build than ICEs.
Ultimately we can expect far higher car quality going forward (from our current period of already excellent car reliability).
People like the product, but they aren't making nearly enough for how much money they burn. If the recession hits and funds dry up, I think it's game over.
Maybe in the US? In Europe, that's not even remotely true. Lots of choice among providers, Tesla is one of many. Germany has ~12k stations, about 900 are Tesla's.
EDIT: I was way off, there are about 900 Tesla charging stations in Europe! In Germany, it's about 150. Of course, this is all debatable because many of these 12k stations have only one connector and often have limited kW, whereas Tesla's are usually equipped with several superchargers, but still, it's a small player in Germany's charging network.
The latest CCS charging standard supports the "plug and charge" model like tesla does. It'll take time, but I expect at the end of 5 years most stations will have it.
Tesla chargers.. never heard of a station being dead. If it was, the in-app nav would reroute you.
The difference is Tesla cares about charge quality. CCS network made to settle Diselgate? No one really cares or puts in the effort to keep them all 100% up.
Requiring a non-dealership EV removes all but a handful of companies. Those are the companies that as sibling commentators have pointed out are delivering EVs in volume.
Rivian or Tesla, you can skip that 4-5k dealer surcharge. I am not sure Ford can really source the parts that much cheaper to sell the same final product for the same price?