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Electric Vehicles Are the U.S. Auto Industry’s Future—If Dealers Can Figure Out How to Sell Them
The Wall Street Journal ^ | March 7, 2021 | Nora Naughton |

Posted on 03/07/2021 8:08:35 PM PST by MinorityRepublican

Car dealer Brad Sowers is spending money to prepare for the coming wave of new electric models from General Motors Co. He is installing charging stations, upgrading service bays and retraining staff at his St. Louis-area dealership to handle the technology-packed vehicles.

But when he considers how many plug-in Chevy Bolts he sold last year—nine, out of the nearly 4,000 Chevrolets sold at his Missouri dealerships—it gives him pause.

“The consumer in the middle of America just isn’t there yet,” when it comes to switching to electric vehicles, he said, citing the long distances many of his customers drive daily and a lack of charging infrastructure outside major cities.

As auto executives and investors buzz about the coming age of the electric car, many dealers say they are struggling to square that enthusiasm with the reality today on new-car sales lots, where last year battery-powered vehicles made up fewer than 2% of U.S. auto sales.

Most consumers who come to showrooms aren’t shopping for electric cars, and with gasoline prices relatively low, even hybrid models can be a tough sell, dealers and industry analysts say.

Auto makers are moving aggressively to expand their electric-vehicle offerings with dozens of new models set to arrive in coming years. Some like GM are setting firm targets for when they plan to phase out gas-powered cars entirely.

(Excerpt) Read more at wsj.com ...


TOPICS: Business/Economy; Editorial; Your Opinion/Questions
KEYWORDS: autonomousvehicles; chatforum; elonmusk; ev; fakenews; fastcharging; fossilfuelforever; tesla; v8powerbaby
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To: Jamestown1630

You appear to have the opposite experience from most other people. :P

Did you buy the Fit new?


361 posted on 03/08/2021 8:57:07 PM PST by Spktyr (Overwhelmingly superior firepower and the willingness to use it is the only proven peace solution.)
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To: Elsie

Physics favor electric cars.


362 posted on 03/08/2021 9:18:39 PM PST by TexasGator (Z1z)
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To: TexasGator

I’m sorry if I misrepresented your position, I apologize. I believe in a clean environment and enjoy listening to the sweet sound of my 67 GTO as well.


363 posted on 03/08/2021 9:24:10 PM PST by wjcsux (RIP Rush Limbaugh 12 Jan 1951- 17 Feb 2021. We really miss you. 😢)
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To: Jimmy The Snake

“1 gallon of gasoline = 32KW of kinetic energy”

KW is power, not energy.

The amount of kinetic energy in a gallon of gas depends on its velocity.


364 posted on 03/08/2021 9:37:02 PM PST by TexasGator (Z1z)
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To: Jimmy The Snake

“30 mpg at 30mph = 32KW of energy needed to drive to work and back 15 miles each way.”

No need to try that conversion. EVs have kw and kwh meters.

A typical value is 250 watts hr per mile or 4 miles per kwh.

30 miles would consume 7.5 kwh.

7.5 kwh per car per day.


365 posted on 03/08/2021 9:42:09 PM PST by TexasGator (Z1z)
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To: Jimmy The Snake

“276 million cars in USA

32x10**3 times 276x10**6 = 8,832x10**9 KW of energy needed per day in USA, or 8.8 Terawatts (Trillion watts) of new electrical power needed”

We can use your 276 million but even the optimists say we won’t reach that number for decades.

That would require about 2000 mwhrs per day.

Your nuclear plant rating is thermal, not electric.

1200 mw x .35 x 24 hours is about 10,000 mwhrs per day.

Falling asleep. You may want to check my math.


366 posted on 03/08/2021 9:54:28 PM PST by TexasGator (Z1z)
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To: wjcsux

Accepted


367 posted on 03/08/2021 9:55:48 PM PST by TexasGator (Z1z)
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To: ready2brd

See my 364, 365, 366.

1 AM on my phone... I did’t check the math.


368 posted on 03/08/2021 9:58:43 PM PST by TexasGator (Z1z)
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To: MinorityRepublican

Brad Sowers is an idiot. Let’s see how long he stays in business if he goes heavy on the “electric car”. One good lightning storm, small EMP blast, a Texas-sized blizzard, brown or black-outs due to transmission problems (including sabotage, the secret but real terrorism tactic now being used in the West), and he’s got a new business, scrap metal, scrap/crap batteries, and scrap melted glass.


369 posted on 03/08/2021 10:18:12 PM PST by MadMax, the Grinning Reaper
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To: MadMax, the Grinning Reaper

Your bias is causing you to make up things.


370 posted on 03/08/2021 10:21:11 PM PST by TexasGator (Z1z)
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To: TexasGator

No one was persuaded by you- because you lied.

Of course IDK: maybe that was your intent- to demean the pro-EV crowd.


371 posted on 03/08/2021 10:32:48 PM PST by mrsmith (US MEDIA: " Every 'White' cop is a criminal! And all the 'non-white' criminals saints!")
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To: MadMax, the Grinning Reaper
Brad Sowers is an idiot. Let’s see how long he stays in business if he goes heavy on the “electric car”.

I've read GM will be requiring auto dealers to go heavy on EVs to retain their dealership.

372 posted on 03/08/2021 11:55:53 PM PST by EVO X
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To: TexasGator

You are obviously better positioned to afford expensive EVs than the majority of drivers.

That just may influence your passion for EV.


373 posted on 03/09/2021 2:50:05 AM PST by hoosierham (Freedom isn't free)
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To: pluvmantelo; mrsmith
...CA charges up to an additional $175 dollars annually with registration fees in lieu of gas taxes.

When you factor in other state taxes and fees and the federal excise tax of 18.4 cents per gallon, Californians will pay 82.2 cents per gallon in taxes every time they fill up starting July 1, 2020

Gasoline tax (¢/gal) (includes federal tax of 18.4¢/gal) Indiana 65.0


I drive about 25K a year, getting about 20 mpg: thus using about 1250 gallons yearly.

@ 65 cents per, that's about $812 a year.

$175 sounds mighty cheap to me, since I imagine that my vehicle tears up the road as much as an electric one.

374 posted on 03/09/2021 4:40:20 AM PST by Elsie (Heck is where people, who don't believe in Gosh, think they are not going...)
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To: TexasGator

The Villages in Florida.

And you’re exactly right, it is a different country.


375 posted on 03/09/2021 4:45:14 AM PST by cyclotic (Live your life in such a way that they hate you as much as they hated Rush Limbaugh)
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To: roadcat
I'm worse, as my excess vehicles do NoT run!

2 Jeeps, 3 1 ton Chevy vans, 4 69-73 Opel GT's, 5-6 riding mowers, and many leaf blowers, chain saws, tillers, push mowers...


There must be some type of corollary that states:

The Junk expands to fill the available space.

My intentions are, "I'm gonna fix that some day."

376 posted on 03/09/2021 4:45:56 AM PST by Elsie (Heck is where people, who don't believe in Gosh, think they are not going...)
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To: roadcat

I made exactly that argument early on in the thread. If you don’t drive much, get an old beater that’s nearly free to drive.


377 posted on 03/09/2021 4:46:32 AM PST by cyclotic (Live your life in such a way that they hate you as much as they hated Rush Limbaugh)
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To: roadcat

Oh; I’ve a few electric vehicles as well; but the grandkids have long ago grown too big to fit in them.


378 posted on 03/09/2021 4:46:54 AM PST by Elsie (Heck is where people, who don't believe in Gosh, think they are not going...)
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To: Bulwyf
Anyone with common sense knows this.

The percent of these folks that are still around, grow less each year.

379 posted on 03/09/2021 4:48:18 AM PST by Elsie (Heck is where people, who don't believe in Gosh, think they are not going...)
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To: MinorityRepublican

Unusual honest article from big media


380 posted on 03/09/2021 4:55:24 AM PST by stuck_in_new_orleans ( )
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