Business
I believe manufactures (in the US and Europe at least) view EVs as new high tech luxury items still. Then they add features and margins appropriate to those markets. “The poors can keep using the old low tech stuff.” That kind of thinking, nothing more complicated than that.
I make something for 35$, sell it to you for 50.
Suddenly, my materials become cheaper, but the customer doesn’t know.
Now I make something for 15$, sell it to you for 50.
It’s capitalism. They’re all drooling over insane profit margins
Suddenly, my materials become cheaper, but the customer doesn’t know.
Now I make something for 15$, sell it to you for 50.
That’s only the case if you have a monopoly on production. Someone else could also make it for 15$, and sell it for 49$, forcing you to lower your prices to stay competitive.
What is preventing this with EVs?
In the US, bans on foreign cars which limit the number of ‘someone elses’ pretty dramatically.
Personally I also suspect a bit of collusion - they could sell it for less and undercut the competition but they all make more money if nobody cuts their price.
Because the markets aren’t competitive enough due to locking out Chinese EVs. The Chinese EV market is absurdly competitive and the prices for entry-level models are absurdly cheap.
To prop up ice vehicles and the petroleum industries.
Because they can.
- Capitalism.
Because western auto manufacturers still, by and large, loose money on EVs because the economies of scale are not there yet
