The first wave of people who bought electric cars in the United States tended to be high net worth, environmentally conscious tech enthusiasts living in California. The second wave may be people like Russell Grooms, a librarian from Virginia.
Last year, Grooms bought a battery-powered Nissan Leaf and spent about $20,000 after government incentives as a way to save money on gas.
“I don’t have the disposable income to spend $50,000 or $60,000 on a car just to help the environment,” he said. “It really was a matter of numbers.”
Electric vehicles are starting to go mainstream in the United States after previously foraying into mass markets in China and Europe.
Battery-powered cars are the fastest-growing segment of the auto market, with sales soaring 70 percent in the first nine months of the year compared to the same period in 2021, according to data from Cox Automotive, a research and consulting firm. Sales of conventional cars and trucks fell 15 percent in the same period.
Gasoline cars still account for the largest share of the new car market. But the share of electric vehicles in new vehicle sales nearly doubled in the first nine months of the year, to 5.6 percent from 2.9 percent in the same period in 2021, Cox reported.
Many buyers conclude that electric vehicles make economic sense, even when they cost thousands of dollars more than comparable gas-powered vehicles.
Volatile gasoline prices, which hit all-time highs this year, convinced people like Tracy Miersch, a resident of the Canadian province of New Brunswick. She drives around 3,000 miles a month installing retail merchandise displays.
“I had been a bit reluctant to all the new technology,” Miersch said. “My purpose was to get rid of gasoline.”
He estimates he saves more than C$600 a month, or about $440, on the Tesla Model 3 he bought used for C$70,000 in 2021. Charging the car at home costs about $6, he said. But for all the hype, buyers have struggled.
The lack of quick and convenient places to charge electric cars on longer trips has been the main frustration. And there aren’t enough street chargers for the millions of Americans who live in apartments, even in Los Angeles, said Arianna Stern, who bought a used Nissan Leaf.
By: JACK EWING and PETER EAVIS
BBC-NEWS-SRC: http://www.nytsyn.com/subscribed/stories/6491457, IMPORTING DATE: 2022-12-13 06:00:08
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