I think one of the Honda Element’s selling points was you could hose it out. But it never really sold well and they discontinued it.
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At least the Lucid’s look has a functional/efficiency tie-in. The cars are extremely aerodynamic which translates to better range. It is also refreshing that the car isn’t trying to be a crossover/suv. The only downside I see to the shape is they are a bit awkward to get into, but once inside there is ample headroom and space. And the fit and finish seems an improvement on the teslas. (Not a lucid owner, but have been in a few of them.)
We passed a Polestar2 today. What a nice looking car. Anyone have any experience with this one?
Like all surveys, context and questions matter. The Pew survey was about renewable energy. The entire context for people responding was about questions in that category and they had 3 choices for the EV car purchase question: 1) help the environment, 2) save money on gas or 3) keep up with the latest trends. Saving money on gas was almost dead even with helping the environment and other benefits of EV cars weren’t even available options for respondents to select.
I was at the local Tesla sales office today. I’ve been there several times over the years since it opened. This time was insane. Despite thunderstorms I counted 85 customers in the pretty small shop which only had room to display 3 vehicles. I’ve never seen a half that many people at one time at any dealership I’ve ever been too. Each demo car had multiple parties waiting their turn to try out its seats. I wasn’t too surprised because they are incredibly popular around where I live – I don’t think I ever take a drive without seeing them on the road and if I had to guess at the single most common car brand I now see in daily driving locally it would be Tesla – it probably represents far more than 1 in 10 cars on the road around where I live.
The environment benefits have been there for years. Even longer with hybrids. IMO what started to tip the scales is when people realized all the other benefits – no need to go get gas, to get service, the fun acceleration, saving money on gas, etc. That doesn’t mean they wouldn’t check the box for benefitting the environment on a survey – that’s nice too. But that may not be the factor that put them over the edge from curious to owner. When I talk to owners, environment is never the first thing they say (if said at all) – they talk about how its fun the drive, the best car they owned, etc. People figured out that they aren’t just responsible but fun, and sales skyrocketed.
I’ve looked at Polestars a little and they seem very nice and competitively priced for their market segment (at least if you figure in their lease deal.) One slight drawback for me is that the car is still based on an ICE platform (same platform as Volvo XC40), so it still has some unnecessary inefficiencies like a transmission tunnel (the hump on the floor in the middle) which means less efficient use of space, and a discomfort for a middle person in the back seat. The reality is that this probably wouldn’t matter much, but cars designed from the ground up to be EV can make more efficient use of the space available. But not likely a big deal for most people.
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We looked at their 2 (I think it is classified as a compact car) at the local showroom. Very nice sedan. The big con for us was the claustrophobic feeling: windshield is so tiny compared to our X so it limits the driver’s view of the road substantially. We said we would come back when 3 (the SUV) will be available. It also sits low to the ground so getting in and out is not as comfortable.
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Polestar has showrooms? I’m in CT…I don’t think there is one here. Imwas told all ordering etc was done…online. Is that not true?
There are a few scattered around the country. Should be one close to you, around Boston.
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I guess Boston is close…relatively speaking…
I like the look of the Rivian SUV but agree on the headlights being unattractive. I saw not one but two Lucid vehicles on the road this week. I didn’t care for the styling.
Sorry @GKUnion the FJ is one of my least liked vehicles along with the Honda Element. My daughter drives an old style Toyota LandCruiser and she has been offered $$ considering the age of the car. It will be interesting to see what the new LandCruiser will be like. We also have a “newer” LandCruiser that we use to pull our trailer.
Both my husband and I would consider all electric for our next car. He is presently using a plug in as his daily driving car.
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Internet says there is a Polestar Westport, at the Volvo Westport dealer. Don’t know if there are others as well.
Westport isn’t that far! I may need to make a road trip!
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Not sure if it is accurate, but I’ve read in a few places that the ride is better without the “performance pack.”
But that’s all “in your opinion”. I’m asking you to back that up with more than your gut feeling like I did with the Pew study. You can’t just claim you know why people buy EVs and not have anything more than your opinion behind it. If you want to knock the Pew study I’m willing to listen if youve got another poll or study showing different reasons.
My experience is that people buy EVs for the environmental benefits and then talk up how fun they are to drive and the other benefits with friends, etc, to share more than just the obvious environmental benefits. I know when I talk about my car that’s how I approach it. I don’t want to beat people over the head with “it’s good for the environment” but that absolutely is the reason we drive EVs.
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My guess is it’s both. People come for the environmental benefits, then stay for the fun.
And it seems there are fewer and fewer reasons to not consider an electric. They are more fun, quicker, more engaging to drive, less expensive to operate, better for the environment, etc. That’s not to say they are for everyone, but for people who have access to charging they are becoming a no brainer. And as range increases and infrastructure improves it will be even more so.
While there are legit concerns for some, I get the feeling that at this point much of the opposition is more political than practical.
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I’ll disagree and take the counterpoint on this one.
For me, there’s nothing quite like rowing through the gears, heel-toe shifting with a manual transmission ICE and hearing the “purr” or “roar” of the engine and exhaust.
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My husband really wanted to support the EV revolution when Tesla was struggling to ramp up adoption. We got our X with a $5k discount for having 500 miles on the odometer plus free Supercharge for life which we’ve used on road trips and occasionally around town. We did not think of other benefits like fewer service issues and big time savings by charging at home until we had the car for a little while. Our ICE junk truck is due for a timing belt change, and I have the hardest time kicking Mr. B’s rear end so he could schedule that for his junkmobile. Plus, it will be like a $1,500 experience… 
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Or, the reverse. Buy the tech/fun and the environmental benefits is a plus.
In an informal poll on a main Tesla blog, environmental benefits came in 3rd, if I recall.
No question that the earliest adopters were environmentally inclined. (And that would include those in CA who purchased an EV solely for the car pool lanes.)
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