Posted on 03/18/2026 4:46:20 AM PDT by Skwor
Newly-released sales figures from the United States is starting to reveal just how much electric vehicle demand leaned on the federal EV tax credit that was discarded on September 30 last year. With that incentive now gone, the early numbers suggest the market is already feeling the adjustment, and it has not been a subtle one.
Data from S&P Global Mobility shared by Auto News show that 59,802 new EVs were registered in January, a massive 41 percent drop from a year earlier.
(Excerpt) Read more at legalinsurrection.com ...
Exactly. And you get what you pay for. One of the most popular charging networks is Electrify America (EA). Many people who got an EV in the past few years had a free 1 or 2 years' worth of charging at EA stations. This was because EA is owned by Volkswagen, and it was Volkswagen's way of paying indulgences to the EPA over the dieselgate scandal.
So what's charging at a free EA station like? They're often crowded because local EV owners are using the free charge at EA instead of charging at home (at least back when many EV owners were new owners, not so much anymore). They're poorly maintained. They tend to not have good lighting or restrooms (except for the ones at Walmarts). And they don't have the windshield washer squeegee.
But if you ignore the "free" charging stations and stop at charging stations you pay for like EVGo (which I used a lot of on my 1,7400 drive in the most recent long trip in the EV), you're finished in 10-15 minutes while you use the restroom and get a bite to eat. When I made that 1,700 mile drive from east Canada to Alabama, all charging stops but two were just like that: done in 10-15 minutes. The only exceptions was one in very rural Canada that took 30 minutes (I was ready for breakfast anyway it turns out) and one that I'm the one who made it take a while because wanted to get out of the car for a while and walk a block away to sit and eat. (On that charging stop I let it charge all the way to 100%, which takes a lot longer than charging it to 80% or 85%. But like I said, I, not the charger, wanted the stop to take a while.)
So the first lesson about EV's is it's like everything else in life: it's better off if the govt isn't dicking with it.
Tesla has revolutionized a couple things in the way that automobiles are now manufactured. Not just EVs. ALL vehicles.
It is the casting machines they had built. The first one was too large to fit into the factory in CA. They had to put it outside. It cast the aluminum frame in two pieces which are then joined together. Eventually(I believe)the factory they built in CHINA had a casting machine to put out a frame for the entire vehicle in ONE piece. This saves both time and assembly labor. Even if that assembly is by ROBOTS. The claim is that they can put out a new vehicle faster than any other factories.
The other major development is the electric motors developed by Tesla for the Model S Plaid. They built a process to wind carbon threads around the motor so that it increases its efficiency/HP. I only know this from watching a YouTube video a month ago. I am not an electrical engineer. I trained as a mechanical engineer, but I sell sticks(lumber).
All I understand is that this was a revolutionary breakthrough in electric motor design. Enabling them to turn at higher RPMS for longer periods without damaging the motors. Anyone who understands this better than I do, please feel free to add you expertise. There was another Freeper who said they worked on this development.
These two things make it so Tesla can produce a better EV for LESS COST than any other manufacturer. That is until the CHINESE STEAL the technology and do it cheaper.
Auto Makers wasted a 100 billion dollars or more listening to the crazy governments and the EV mandates where they thought governments would force citizens to buy the EV garbage
...and Batteries Suck
I wonder how their trade-in value is doing.
The 4 cylinder turbo engine now on most trucks is WHY I am still driving my 2012 V6 Tacoma 4WD double cab long bed.
A couple years back I was going buy a new Tacoma until I found out they stopped making the V6 engine in 2022.
FYI, you can still get a 4Runner with a V6 this last year.
Therefore, I bought a 2011 Lexus IS350 hard top convertible.
It was in Sarasota, FL with 47K miles. It has a naturally aspirated 3.5 liter V6 which puts out 325HP.
I am also considering buying a slightly newer Tacoma. I am considering a 2015 double cab V6 4WD long bed. There is one at a used car dealer with 60K miles. Clean Carfax. two owners. They both put on average 6K miles annually. It is basically just getting broken in.
IMHO, this is a better truck than the new vehicles.
In fact this is probably the best truck Toyota EVER made.
It is basically the same truck I am driving with less than half the mileage. They are asking $26K. It is probably worht $23K. A new Tacoma with a 4 cylinder turbo is $45K
Electric vehicles are so fragile. So many articles about how they don’t keep a charge or can’t be charged in low temperatures, or how they basically have to be thrown away if something goes wrong with the battery, and how low their resale value is. The subsidies were supposed to get them to the point were they were economically viable on their own. They were not going in that direction fast enough.
I never met a battery that I liked.
...They tend to not have good lighting or restrooms (except for the ones at Walmarts)....
The charging stations enterprising bizness men target for a supply of free copper cables....
What's funny is, again, leftism messes up everything. The left promotes EV's and charging, while the left gives a pass on thefts and vandalism.
As an EV owner in Alabama, with most of my fast charging stops away from home but still in the southeast when I go on a day trip or such, I'm usually in red states when I charge. It's ironic in a way that the red states punish the charging vandals, and, thus, the end result is that the EV charging experience is better in red states than in the blue states that want nothing but EV's. LOL
“That whistling sound is getting on my nerves”
hybrids make fake sounds too ...
This is shocking! This will send a jolt thru the auto industry.
Pontiac’s were known for burning thru starters. I could change one myself in less than 30 minutes.
Got the wife a Santa Cruz tiny pickup. Perfect for the ‘ol lady. V-6 turbo so I can drive it too!
Elon dreams a few decades in the future. Even smart guys have a bad idea every now and then. But you will have a hard time convincing the richest man in the world of that.
Jim Rockford’s Firebird was a cool car. The twin hood scoops turn my head every time.
Pontiac v8s had earth mover torque.
My 1st car was a 65 Pontiac GTO. Aqua color, black convertible. Awesome car. Paid $465 for it in 1976
We have a prolific FR member, an Alabama resident, who makes good use of electrics. But, with a big caveat - he likes to do it and has the knowledge and skill to trick up his solar panels, charging systems, storage batteries, interfacing with the local grid and the controllers to make it all work well.
Maybe 0.01% of the general population has the desire, knowledge and skill to engineer such a complicated system. Maybe 0.1% can even *safely* install a garage EV charger, upgrade their breaker panel and add a wall storage battery, and monitor all.
For all those folks, just buy an ICE auto and be happy.
Even with the subsidy, EVs surely looked overpriced to me compared with the cars I could afford to drive. Now they are saying used car prices are going up. This is really hard to understand as dome of the later models were about one step ahead of junk as they left the factory. And these are gas-powered. The really old sometimes “classics” may be the ones to own, but unfortunately they have largely become collector vehicles and are not priced as to be very affordable.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.