Why aren't battery power vehicles cheaper?

My Yamaha had a 3 cylinder, but the third cylinder was just a piston to balance the other 2. No combustion going on at all. They do make 3 active cylinder bikes as well.

South side Bethlehem where the PA Sands casino was built is a neighborhood of roughly 34,000 people, mostly Latino, and contains Lehigh University and the Sands Casino (now Wind Creek). Roughly half the homes are rented and the owner occupied homes are mostly over 100 years old, usually duplexes or row homes worth < $180K, many with 100 Amp electrical service since natural gas is the dominant fuel for home heating, cooking and for hot water.

There are two gasoline stations with two regular gasoline pumps (4 filling locations) apiece, although one of the stations also has a diesel pump. Since the neighborhood is poor, people don't spend as much in convenience stores so the larger gasoline stations that most of us are used to are not built there.

Because the University is also there, the neighborhood has 5 ChargePoint locations (two EV's at once apiece) and two Tesla Destination Charger locations, one at the casino, and one at a very upscale bed and breakfast converted from the Sayre Mansion.

Even if battery electric vehicles are priced under $20,000 in a decade, it beats me how you build out the infrastructure in a neighborhood like this to support charging over 20,000 vehicles.



People point out that Tesla introduced a roadster in 2008 with a 53 kWh lithium battery pack that was priced at $98K. Today they have a 4 door rear wheel drive Tesla with a 50 kWh lithium battery priced at $38K. Projecting another 12 years into the future may mean that Tesla offers an EV for $20,000 with a 50 kWh lithium battery. But even assuming that the price drops that fast, doesn't really address the infrastructure issue.

Quote: Pacomartin

People point out that Tesla introduced a roadster in 2008 with a 53 kWh lithium battery pack that was priced at $98K. Today they have a 4 door rear wheel drive Tesla with a 50 kWh lithium battery priced at $38K. Projecting another 12 years into the future may mean that Tesla offers an EV for $20,000 with a 50 kWh lithium battery. But even assuming that the price drops that fast, doesn't really address the infrastructure issue.

Well, this happens because you have upper class people pushing EVs. People who act like the have compassion for the lower classes but in reality have no idea what such a life is like.

Quote: AZDuffman

Well, this happens because you have upper class people pushing EVs. People who act like the have compassion for the lower classes but in reality have no idea what such a life is like.

Poor people can buy a $2000 scooter with a 60 mile range and max speed 30 mph. That way they don't have to upgrade their electrical system, and they can drag it onto the front porch if necessary to plug it into a heavy duty extension cord.


The problem is poor people don't want scooters, they want pick up trucks.

These electric vehicles start at $13,701, but they still don't go above 25 mph and can only be driven on streets with max speed of 35 mph.


But that is a poor substitute for a Chevy Spark ($14,595) which can reach ~110 mph

Yeah, and that will substitute for a real car. Not.

In Victorian London they cleaned up the city by knocking down the slums and building beatiful streets.

In California they will simply clean up the traffic jams by making it impossible for the poor to own a vehicle.

In California
The poor maybe living in lots of vehicles
Many streets lined with vehicles people are living in and old RVs

Quote: Pacomartin

<<<The problem is poor people don't want scooters, they want pick up trucks.

Hard to make a baby on a scooter.

China has begun exports of a 7-seat SUV to Norway for 599,900 NOK ~ $71,816 and it's already a well-equipped version. It will be very interesting to see which of the Chinese EV manufacturers will succeed in Europe and whether they will also make the next step to enter the North American EV market.



It's quite different than the first Honda exported to the United States.


Or the first import from Subaru USA which was 16 hp and could make it to 0 to 60 mph in roughly 30 seconds.

What is happening to the world economy? Why should China's EV be more expensive than BMWs?

Quote: petroglyph

Hard to make a baby on a scooter.

If I was younger I would give it a shot.