Are US EV sales a disaster or a booming segment? The answer may be both

Original Article ↗ Hacker News Discussion ↗

US electric vehicle adoption is growing quickly but remains uneven, with many commenters saying EVs already work brilliantly for homeowners with home charging while being impractical for apartment dwellers, long‑distance towing, or regions with poor charging infrastructure. People weigh higher upfront costs, grid and utility distrust, fire-safety fears, and limited affordable models against low running costs, convenience of home charging, and strong performance. Several see current sales “slowdown” as the normal shift from early adopters to the mass market, arguing that better infrastructure, cheaper models, and policy clarity will determine whether EVs become a mainstream replacement for internal combustion cars.

Purchase decisions & use cases

  • Several commenters say they’ll buy an EV “when it’s better”: current concerns are higher purchase price, worse economics for large vans/pickups, reduced payload, and limited towing range.
  • Rural/remote drivers and those who tow campers report that today’s range penalties (e.g., range dropping to ~90–115 miles when towing a heavy trailer) make EV pickups unattractive.
  • Some users are very satisfied: for their households, an EV covers almost all trips, feels faster and more convenient than ICE, and they “couldn’t go back.”

Home vs. apartment charging

  • Strong split between homeowners with garages (for whom EVs are described as a “no-brainer”) and apartment/condo dwellers who often lack any charging, or face building bans on EV parking.
  • Workplace charging (sometimes free) meaningfully improves the proposition for some.
  • Home electrical upgrades (e.g., ~$3,000 plus charger) are a significant barrier for others.

Charging network & real-world convenience

  • Some report abundant fast chargers (e.g., Tesla Superchargers in the US) and rarely need public charging at all.
  • Others see long queues (e.g., in LA), sparse coverage (e.g., perceived in parts of Switzerland/Canada), or slower-than-advertised fast charging times.
  • There’s debate over whether the remaining market among homeowners is large enough that infrastructure for everyone else will follow.

Costs, subsidies & market offerings

  • Complaints that reasonably priced, no-frills EVs (e.g., “electric Civic”) are missing in North America; many available models are seen as expensive or “luxury.”
  • Some point to cheaper used or lower-trim EVs; others in Canada note persistent price premiums and weak used markets.
  • Discussion of subsidies: some want more support; others object to “subsidizing” EVs and argue fossil fuels are also heavily subsidized.

Fire risk & vehicle weight

  • One of the most contentious threads:
    • One side cites stats (e.g., Sweden) claiming ICE vehicles are ~20x more likely to catch fire per vehicle, and that EV fires in car parks did not worsen spread compared to ICE.
    • The other side argues EV fires are rarer but far more severe (hotter, self‑oxidizing, toxic gases, difficult or impossible to extinguish, risk of reignition), pointing to insurance costs, ferry bans, ship and garage fires, and long-term battery aging.
  • Both sides accuse the other of consuming misinformation; several links and anecdotes are offered, but interpretations strongly diverge.
  • EV weight is raised as a concern for road wear and parking-garage loads; others counter that many ICE luxury cars weigh similarly.

Utilities, grid & control

  • Some Californian commenters distrust their electric utility (e.g., rate hikes, wildfire liabilities, high profits, income-based billing proposals) and see “putting all eggs in the electric basket” as risky.
  • Others note the oil supply chain is also cartel-like but more competitive at the retail level.
  • Home solar plus batteries + EV is seen as a way to escape utility dependence, but there is anxiety about future regulatory changes around rooftop solar.
  • Grid-capacity fears are countered by one national grid operator’s claim (linked in-thread) that even full EV adoption would raise demand only modestly relative to historic peaks.

Market trajectory, mandates & geopolitics

  • Disagreement over “slowing sales”:
    • One view: EV sales are still rising ~25–30% annually, just less than before, consistent with an S-curve.
    • Opposing view: dealers are resisting, mandates are backfiring, and growth is stalling.
  • Debate over whether government “mandates” are prematurely forcing imperfect tech vs. reasonably accelerating inevitable adoption.
  • Discussion of Chinese EV makers (e.g., BYD) as potential providers of affordable EVs, and about US tariffs and possible Mexican plants to bypass them.

Alternatives & broader sustainability

  • PHEVs are proposed as a pragmatic compromise, especially where utilities are distrusted.
  • Multiple comments argue that even EVs are inferior to investments in mass transit (rail/metro), given tire/brake pollution and land-use impacts.
  • Some individuals are bypassing cars entirely, opting for e-bikes when traffic makes them time-competitive.