Quote:
Originally Posted by Efthreeoh
Your comments got me thinking about the Pontiac Fiero. In many ways, I see the Fiero as a microcosm of the EV. The Fiero was developed by GM to be a inexpensive commuter car. 2 seats, small, easy to park, good fuel mileage, durable space frame design with a durable plastic body. It was a new direction for GM. A new architecture that was easily adaptable to market desires. It had some initial design flaws and production quality issues, but it sold very well. Only until the market for it bought it out and leveled off. The Fiero was meant to be a 2nd commuter car for the family, with the more practical vehicle left for the big sedan or wagon for family hauling duty. In the end, there just wasn't a large enough market for the Fiero to sustain it.
I think the EV market has stagnated. I think the majority of EV owners have bought their EV. The rest of the market doesn't have the interest. I don't think the market needs a mix of alternate fuel vehicles simply because gasoline (and) diesel answer nearly 100% of the market's full needs.
You say you are amused by all the automakers jumping in head first, yet say on the other hand we need EV buyers to advance the technology. And that's the problem, there is no natural economic auto market to sustain EV technology development without massive government investment. The EV market HAS to be forced upon us, because most of the market sees no point in paying a higher vehicle price for less service, and at no real lifecycle cost savings.
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Only a few people actually want cars instead of horses. Once all those people buy them, the market will be satisfied and demand for cars will be zero. The market sees no point in paying a higher price for an inferior good. Can you even eat a car when it dies?!
Prescient.