And don’t forget… our continents are still drifting around aimlessly and occasionally bump into one another. It’s kinda like a big spherical bumper-car scene. 
Looks like CT has reached a tipping point.
I scanned your posted Fox News article, it sounds like CT’s Republican Senate leader Kevin Kelly is a tad confused about the issue he is addressing. He stated; “More than 90% of our pollution comes from outside the control of Connecticut. We need a national – and international – approach to improve our air quality. A state-by-state strategy will only prolong the attainment of cleaner air.”
The primary, and by far the most important environmental issue having to do with the push for EVs is not localized air pollution, the issue at hand is the rate at which humans are adding additional CO2 to the earth’s atmosphere. Most people understand that, I’m surprised a state-level Senator appears not to grasp that elementary fact.
Additionally Kelly is backing a Federal Mandate or perhaps a global one. He said “We need a national – and international – approach to improve our air quality. A state-by-state strategy will only prolong the attainment of cleaner air.” That sounds more like a Bernie Sanders than a Republican state Senate Leader.
Good find @robertpri
I am very much a supporter of EVs and will always own one…but I agree that the push from the Federal Government is a little strong. We need to give the free market more time to solve some of the inherent problems.
On the other hand…our sales and distribution model for new cars is broken. We really don’t need to have dealerships with large footprints and inventories. We just need showrooms with repair centers and allow the consumer to order from the manufacturer. This is the way Tesla does it and quite effectively, which is why the traditional dealerships are so afraid.
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Our current system is a hold-over from the early days of the automobile when local governments stepped in to block the big auto manufacturer’s from setting up dealerships without local ownership.
Dealerships are ill-prepared for the EV age. They have evolved to a point where their continued existence is dependent upon income from a predictable and profitable ICE-vehicle service operation. EVs don’t provide that extra profit opportunity.
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On average, new EVs have 79 percent more problems than ICE vehicles. Plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEV) fare even worse with an average of 146 percent more problems. Hybrids, on the other hand, continue to be a bright spot. They experience 26 percent fewer problems than ICE vehicles on average, according to CR’s survey.
The growing pains that have been plaguing EVs are still apparent in CR’s latest survey. Electric cars, electric SUVs, and electric pickups all rank among the least-reliable vehicle categories.
To be clear, I have nothing against EV’s and if still working, there is NO DOUBT I would own one. My circumstances are perfect, having a single home with 110 VAC power to the side of the house already, and a 100 mile RT commute.
I would probably become another EV cheerleader.
That said, one can debate the sales problems of auto sales, but as 3,000 dealers have complained, " BEVs are stacking up on our lots."
That seems to be the real issue.
Everything is anecdotal…but we have 4 vehicles in our family…1 BEV and 3 ICE vehicles. Other than a cabin air filter change, I have had zero items to fix on my Leaf and Tesla over 8 years. I have probably spent $5-$7k in repairs on the ICE vehicles in that timeframe.
I have had my Volvo RX40 EV since Feb 2022… with ZERO problems.
No problems with my ICE 2017 Santa Fe either… but I’ve spent $300+ on scheduled maint on it, and we drive it a lot less than the EV. We like to drive the EV a LOT more than the ICE car, which feels old and clunky compared to the EV.
Seems like Ford us doing better now:
https://electrek.co/2023/12/04/ford-sets-ev-sales-record-nov-lightning-becomes-best-seller/
I couldn’t read your article because the site rejected my ad blocker.
But the Consumer Reports article says:
"“Real-world comparative tests are critical to understand if an EV is right for you,” says Jake Fisher, senior director of CR’s auto test center. “That’s why we purchase our vehicles like a consumer would and drive them at highway speeds like a consumer would on a road trip.”
As most of the BEV owners on this forum have repeatedly said, we didn’t purchase our EV for long road trips, we use our EV for local around-town stuff.
CR’s report is the equivalent of Hot-Rod Magazine publishing an article on how a well 2024 Corvette performed on a cross-country trip for a five-person family with three large dogs and a cat.
It’s a silly premise, that’s why CBS News found it newsworthy.
Which is probably 90% of my driving…if not more…
“Of the 22 EVs we have tested so far, nearly half fell short of their EPA-estimated ranges when driven at highway speeds.”
" Because driving in the cold and running the heater can shorten an EV’s range between 25 and 50 percent, we perform all our range tests in summer at temperatures between 70 and 90° F and when weather is clear, which is the most favorable for EV range."
We can only surmise the EPA is good to go with a clear day and 80 degrees for EVs. If I had an EV guess I’ll get it out of the garage in July.
29 and cloudy here now; get a different car for each season I guess.
Wonderful performance.
Is there a difference in mileage…definitely…but nowhere near 25% in my experience. I would put it around 10%.
I am not party to or do I own any percentage of CR or any website.
That is great and good for you. Do most Americans desire or have the resources to own and maintain a vehicle for local use and one for extended driving?
59% of American households are own two or more cars. 99.2 of US daily trips are less than 100 miles. The average BEV in the US has a range of 291 miles.
You are correct in that a person of limited means is restricted in the purchase of any new car. But I would think that when BEVs become available on the used market it will make sense for them to own a car that is cheaper to operate and maintain…
My Volvo BEV has a heat pump. So far I have driven it in temps ranging from 15F to 110F with little, if any, noticeable difference in miles/kWh’s while being as comfortable as any car in the interior. I’d agree with butler that there’s 10% or less difference in mileage performance.
I have in the past, on multiple occasions, had the engine temp of my ICE cars overheat in hot weather to the point that I had to keep the car in motion or shut the the engine down to prevent loss of engine coolant.