this post was submitted on 04 Nov 2023
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Electric Vehicles
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And gas is still >$3 / gallon.
Is that considered a lot or a little in the USA? As a European that sounds insanely cheap.
It is cheap by international standards, yes. Prices were closer to $4 / gallon recently. I think most Americans would say that it is expensive closer to $4 and cheap around $3.
I expressed it poorly but my point is that EVs should decrease demand for gasoline which should drive the price down. And of course that is not happening because they're manipulating supply.
They should tax the shit out of it to wean you off your petrol addictions.
I don't think that will ever happen. It would be political suicide for a legislature/governor/president to pass major gas tax increases.
Almost every adult American owns a car. Our public transportation exists in major cities but is very poor. Our housing densities are also pretty bad because most families want to live in a big, American house. Most suburbs in the US are terrible for even walking because they have few sidewalks and you have to walk in the road.
As an example, when I worked in the office my drive in a car was about 30 minutes each way. If I wanted to take bus / train that would have at least doubled IF I made the 2 connections perfectly (which would probably never happen). Good chance it would take 1.5 hours most of the time. And I would not have been able to pick up my son from school to have time with him because I'd have to take public transportation 5 cities over, about 21 miles (35 km) which would take hours on public transportation so I'd have to leave work at lunchtime.
The path away from ICE in the US is EVs or similar (hyrdogen, etc.). And improving infrastructure to lessen the need for cars. Few politicians would try to boost the gas taxes much at all. Even small increases in the gas tax are unpopular.
Yeah, that’s quite unfortunate: increasing gas taxes could be a useful tool for encouraging more efficient choices, including BEVs. But yeah, people go crazy over even a few cents, or trying to keep the same percentage instead f a fixed rate per gallon
At current car prices, it's starting to look like fewer people will actually be able to afford a car in the future.
For shits and giggles I worked out what the UK price for petrol would be converted to US gallons and USD. Comes out as about $7.50 a gallon.
Try $5 last year. I think Hawaii and California were at $6.
Would more EVs really bring prices down that much? If people aren't buying gas because they have EVs, a lower price won't get them buying gas again. Maybe drivers of ICE vehicles would drive more but the vast majority of car use in the US is for essential every day things.
I actually don't think the price of gas will ever go down much because they'll (they = OPEC) continue to manipulate supply to keep the price up. And here in the US the price is probably already too low. I think it has stayed lower than inflation. So there's no normal supply / demand with gasoline.
And you're right. I don't know anyone that takes leisurely drives for fun. Probably 95% of driving in the US is basic transportation. I drive to get my son to/from school and buy stuff and used to drive to work.
But I think a lot of people will buy EVs and/or hybrids for commuting. Which can be a positive change. Hopefully the infrastructure (charging stations, etc.) for EVs will keep up with the demand. I owned a Prius recently and it was my lowest total cost of ownership ever with any vehicle. I assume an EV would be even better.
A good solution for an American family is EV for commuting and errands and rent an ICE vehicle if you want to drive for a vacation. Everyone seems to think that the < 400 mile range is a BIG problem for EVs but no so when you can charge it all night every night and only commute 20 miles each way. EVs have commuting solved and I think they'll catch on for that soon here in the US.